IT’S FINALLY FALL IN OHIO!!!!
And I’m just a little bit excited.
(Can you tell?)
I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of fall since…well…last fall. And now that it’s finally here, I’m not wasting any time bringing the FULL ON FALL MADNESS in my household.
Boots are out, pumpkin spice is on deck, and I’m Pinning delicious, fatty, meat-and-potato-filled casseroles into the wee hours of the morning. It’s divine!
As the CEB (Chief Executive Blogger) of a site that is primarily ice cream-focused (with the occasional donut or hot chocolate supplement), my obsession with fall seems a bit counterintuitive; after all, you’d think I’d be more of a summer person since that’s technically supposed to be prime ice cream season.
But you know what, my friends? I’m choosing to defy seasonal blog logic and encourage us all to BREAK FREE from conventional ice cream limitations. I think Fall is the PERFECT time for ice cream, because you can tap into all these amazing comfort flavors like pecan, caramel, apple, etc. – the list goes on and on.
Summer might be over, but I’m just getting started!
For the first post of fall, I wanted to revisit my new favorite simple ice cream technique: the No Churn. Even though my first no-churn ice cream, the No Churn Cannoli, was a huge hit in our house (and on the blog), I still had some hesitation (and suspicion) about ice creams that aren’t made in a proper ice cream maker. I needed further documentation of this approach – after all, I don’t want to actively promote a product that’s just..meh.
As both a marketing person and a self-important food blogger (a pretty loathsome combination), I sometimes have these super intense conversations with myself about the strategic direction of my blog and what I should and shouldn’t do and how it can adversely affect the blog’s brand image.
Well, if I really want If the Spoon Fits to be a premium brand, should I really be making bastardized ice cream? Am I getting away from my core competency? What kind of message is this sending out to my followers?
Then I remember that the blog is supposed to be a HOBBY. It’s supposed to be FUN.
And you know what? I’m going to do what I want! And if what I want is to show the people that ice cream is a year-long thing, I need to remove any obstacles to ice cream production and enjoyment.
And also? I just really wanted to make something pumpkin-y and fast that was minimal effort on a Sunday afternoon.
On a more personal note, my husband and I are both finally done with grad school and it’s our very first fall together where he’s not getting home at 10pm and studying on the weekends. There’s nothing more I want to do this fall than just have fun and enjoy our favorite season. And you guys, sometimes all the egg yolks and fancy flavors and stressful photoshoots just aren’t fun at all – fun to make, fun to photograph, or fun to eat.
Don’t get me wrong, I always end up enjoying the blogging process regardless of the outcome, but there’s something especially satisfying about cutting corners and having it turn out fabulously. Which is how I feel about this Pumpkin Cookie Butter Ice Cream.
Aside from being easy, this ice cream is downright, honest-to-goodness delicious. Just like the No Churn Cannoli Ice Cream, this ice cream didn’t last more than a day or two in the freezer. As one of my favorite sayings goes, the proof is in the pudding! (Er…ice cream).
And in case you don’t believe me, my hard-to-please Senior Product Development Manager aka Faithful Taste Tester aka Husband had this to say upon his first bite:
“Wow. Oh man. Wow. This might be one of my favorites. Wow.”
(Please note multiple instances of the word Wow).
So there you have it.
And in case you’re wondering, we each had a bowl and a cone that night. Because that’s the way a low-stress, fabulous, and fun fall is supposed to be.
I’m not much of a delegator, but you guys. Go. Make. This. Now!
What are you waiting for?!
Happy scooping!
No Churn Pumpkin Cookie Butter Ice Cream
Yield: 1 (Heaping) Quart
Ingredients:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup cookie butter (I used Trader Joe’s version; you can also make your own)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Large pinch of salt, or to taste
- 2 cups crushed speculoos cookies, or some type of spicy/ginger cookie (I used Biscoff)
Directions:
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric hand mixer on high for two to three minutes until it becomes whipped cream.
- In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, cookie butter, vanilla, and spices until well combined.
- Gently fold in the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream, and gingerly stir together until just combined. Fold in the cookie pieces, saving a handful or two for the top.
- Move to a storage container if desired, then top with remaining cookies. Cover with plastic wrap, and store in the freezer overnight or for at least 4 hours. When ready to eat, let it rest on the counter for 10 or 15 minutes before eating so it gets nice and soft.
- Enjoy 🙂
if the spoon fits 
Wow. Oh wow. Yum oh my goodness WOW!! This looks and sounds AMAZING, I need some right now!! Fall (a.k.a. autumn) is my favourite time of year too, for exactly those reasons you mentioned and boy, I so wish we were going into it now instead of summer… Lindsay, this seriously looks amazing – not only drop dead delicious and full of fragrant sweet spice – but you’ve really nailed the moody lighting. Bravo you! x
Omigosh, thank you so much for the kind words! It’s so funny, I actually had a mild meltdown over these pictures – I took them later in the day than I wanted to, so I felt like I was rushing around and the light wasn’t favorable because the sun was setting. I swear I must have taken 100 or so pics and felt like 75% of them were blurry as all get out, so I had to walk away and come back to the project when I wasn’t feeling so grouchy lol your compliments mean so much, as you know I covet your photography style! Thx for being so supportive 🙂 xoxo
I can so empathise, been in that situation more than a few times (and ice cream has that added urgency of needing to be photographed before melting)… Well, of the 100 photos you snapped you definitely got some great compositions and moody lighting! I was in a similar frustrating rush myself taking photos last week of some blood orange sorbet as the last of the natural light was leaving the kitchen. Not only was the sorbet not set quite properly but now I’m looking at the photos, they’re dull and flat 😦 I might need to make it all over again… Ahh, the fun of being a food photographer! xx
Oh my god, frickin WOW… I just had to leave another comment – it looks SO GOOD!!
Thank you!!!!! You’re the sweetest 🙂
Really does look delicious 🙂
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
Soooouuuuulllll mates! Fall has ALWAYS been my favorite season. I love everything about it. The foods (apple cider doughnuts, don’t mind if I do), the produce, the holidays (Thanksgiving… Hello?), the weather, the smell of the air, the colors, even the clothing! I definitely look better in layered clothing over shorts and short sleeves hahaha! I also love being able to turn off the damned AC and open the windows!
Oh- and keep an eye on BKHM in the next couple days if you’re looking for some more meat and potato recipes to pin!
I’ve also had hundreds of those conversations about my “brand” in my head and a few months ago decided to just throw it all out the window and do whatever I wanted to do. It’s my damned blog, and I’m gonna make whatever I want, and write whatever I want, and publish as frequently (or infrequently) as I want. I never want it to feel like work and if it ever ceases to be fun I’ll probably just stop doing it.
I’m all about fall ice cream flavors. When I lived in Ithaca there was an ice cream shop called Purity that made a simple cinnamon ice cream that was always my go-to to serve with pies at Thanksgiving. I miss that place!
As for this ice cream. Good lord above. Words cannot express how much I want this in my mouth right now! Gimme Gimme Gimme!
Parallel lives!! And not to mention fall is the perfect sleeping weather…except when it’s chilly in the morning and you have to get out of your comfy bed to go to work 😦
Speaking of work, that’s totally my biggest fear is that the blog will feel like work, and that’s the opposite of why I started it in the first place! (Unless of course, some fancy ice cream company is reading this and wants to give me a job and pay me lots of money. Then of course, I’d love to make the blog my job 😀 😀 😀 )
Cinnamon ice cream? I’ve thought about cinnamon bun or apple cinnamon, but never just plain cinnamon. My wheels are turning 😀 I’d bet you could make an amazing homemade version yourself !!!