Butternut Ice Cream

Let’s get serious here for a minute. If you’re going to be making and eating all these wonderful holiday goodies, shouldn’t you have some awesome ice cream to go with it? I think so. In fact, missing out on the ice cream part would totally put a damper on your holiday celebration. Christmas without ice cream is like Stacy without an accident….it just doesn’t happen. So, in honor of you and to help you celebrate correctly, I created an ice cream recipe that would pair well with any holiday delight – pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate cake, any cake, any cookie, dirt, macaroni, etc. Let’s make Butternut Ice Cream Y’all!

I used butternut (duh), but you could just as easily use any pureeed squash or even pumpkin for this culinary bliss. If you don’t know much about Butternut Squash, check out my tutorial from last year.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine ¾ cup whole milk, 2/3 cup turbinado sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. When I’m making ice cream, I like to use turbinado sugar instead of sucanat – I think the flavor is less overpowering. I tried sucanat in ice cream once and we didn’t like it at all….but we did it eat, because wasting ice cream is sacrilegious. For me, turbinado is a lesser evil…..it’s a raw sugar, and a bit better than white sugar in my book. Warm the mixture only until the sugar dissolves. Stir constantly and DO NOT BOIL. When the sugar is dissolved, pull the mixture off the heat.

What else do we need? Whole cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It’s a happy crew. Do not judge my imitation vanilla. Thank you.

Add the butternut to the milk/sugar mixture. Mine was very cold, straight from the fridge, so I knew it would cool down the milk mixture. If your squash is hot, you’ll need to add it to the milk and then let the whole mixture cool to room temperature. When it’s cooled down, add the heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir well with a whisk.

Pour the entire mixture down into a bowl that has a lid. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Sometimes I refrigerate overnight. Anything goes…just make sure you get at least two hours in.

After two hours, you’re ready to proceed like your ice cream maker instructs. This is my new baby….isn’t she beautiful? I got this lovely Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from my Mama for my birthday…..and I love it. We’re very good friends. I was thinking about making her a bed to sleep in. I keep making ice cream over and over. I’m an ice cream making fool……watch out! Wanna come over?

When it’s churned to perfection, transfer the ice cream to the same bowl you used to refrigerate it in and use that for storage in the freezer. I like mine best right when it’s first done – soft serve style. But I’m not a hater….I’ll eat it straight out of the freezer too. Would you like it in a house? Would you like it with a mouse? Would you like it here or there? I would like it anywhere……even in the closet where no one can see me. That totally rhymes.

Annie is my taste tester. See the tickled look on her face? She loves her ice cream…..and she had two bowls of this before I had to cut her off….I mean, what about poor ole Mommy?