Peeps, I am a huge fan of no-churn ice cream, despite the fact that I just started making it last summer. But make it I did, and I think it is fair to say that I did not pull out my ice cream machine once — it was all about the no-churn, all of the time. If you do not know much about no-churn ice cream, allow me to give you all of the scoops (pun intended). No-churn ice cream is a combination of sweetened condensed milk (one of my all-time fave ingredients, but more on that in a sec) and heavy cream, usually flavored with an extract, a bit of salt, perhaps some chocolate and/or nuts. The concoction is poured into a chilled metal loaf pan and — dare I say magically — turns ice cream-like as it freezes, with a texture and mouth feel that might fool even the most die-hard of aficionados.
In light of my love of no-churn ice cream and sweetened condensed milk, as described above, you can imagine my absolute delight when Eagle Brand® contacted me about partnering with them to create a scrumptious treat calling for their delicious sweetened condensed milk. And lest you think that there is some complicated process or list of ingredients that goes into making Eagle Brand’s milk, let me tell you: it is made with nothing more than whole milk and sugar, and their unique manufacturing process creates my favorite sweetened condensed milk on the market (just sayin’).
Because I love no-churn ice cream so much, and because I am always excited to celebrate #NationalIceCreamDay, which is today, December 13th, if you must know, no-churn ice cream was the first sweetened condensed milk treat that I suggested I make for Eagle Brand, and they were 100% on board. In this particular ice cream, I added cream cheese to my base for a bit of tang, and because I knew I would be creating a PUMPKIN ice cream (to use up all of that extra canned pumpkin in the pantry leftover from Thanksgiving — you’re welcome) and I love the combo of cream cheese and pumpkin. Moreover, it helps cut a little of the sweetness of the ice cream, if you’re into that kind of thing (I am not really a “sweets cutter,” myself, but to each his own).
I also added some cinnamon to make the pumpkin flavor truly pop, and a swirl of an easy-peasy salty dark caramel. The recipe for the caramel couldn’t be easier, but if you want to use store-bought, I feel you and you should go for it. The ice cream takes about 5 hours to set up in the fridge, so plan accordingly and please serve scoops with extra caramel drizzled on top. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Caramel-Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese No-Churn Ice Cream
Ingredients
- For the salty caramel makes about 1 1/2 cups, so you will have extra for drizzling on top of scoops of your ice cream (you’re welcome):
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
- For the ice cream base:
- 8 ozs. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
- One can Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup Salty Caramel you can also use store-bought
Instructions
- To make the caramel, combine the corn syrup, sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat without stirring until it turns a deep amber color, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Decrease the heat to medium and add the cream. Continue cooking until the mixture smooths out, as it may seize up when the cream is added. Add the butter, vanilla and salt and stir until incorporated.
- Let cool to room temperature on the counter before using.
- Place a 9x5x2-inch loaf pan into the freezer about an hour before making the ice cream.
- In a food processer fitted with the blade attachment, process the cream cheese, vanilla and salt until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds depending on your food processer. Add the heavy cream and process until stiff peaks form.
- Add the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon and process just to combine.
- Transfer the ice cream to the cold pan and smooth the top. The pan will be very full. If it is too full for your liking, pour some of the ice cream base into a second smaller container.
- Drizzle about 1/2 cup of the caramel over the ice cream base. Use a fork to swirl it throughout the ice cream. Then dollop a 1/4 cup over the top and swirl it across the surface decoratively – this makes for the prettiest of ice creams.
- Cover in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours. Serve scoops with an extra drizzle of caramel on top. The ice cream will keep in the freezer tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for about two weeks and the caramel will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
