Cinnamon Adds The Perfect Warm Notes To Your Homemade Ice Cream

Recipes for homemade ice cream often feature vanilla as the starring ingredient. But while vanilla ice cream is delicious, it's just as easy to take that basic ice cream formula and give it a distinctive flavor twist by adding cinnamon. Cinnamon, a warming spice, adds some depth of flavor to this creamy, cool treat. It has a spicy earthiness as well as an appealing sweetness that can transform your ice cream into something spectacular. 

Making cinnamon ice cream gives you a chance to experiment with this distinctive spice. There are actually several kinds of cinnamon, and each has a slightly different flavor profile. The two main varieties are Celyon or cassia. Ceylon has a mild taste and it works best in baked goods. There are three types of cassia cinnamon, and the most widely used option is known as Korintje, or Indonesian, which is also the sweetest and smoothest kind. If you're looking for a little more of a spicy kick, it could be worth it to try Vietnamese cinnamon.

Homemade cinnamon ice cream starts with a traditional base. You typically need milk, cream or half-and-half, eggs, sugar, and salt, but some recipes use cornstarch and skip the eggs. You can also try canned sweetened condensed milk for your ice cream base, which does double-duty by providing both the dairy element as well as the sugar component. Or, for a similar effect, you could use coffee creamer for your base. No matter what style of ice cream base you choose, you're going to want to add the cinnamon after you've put the mixture together. 

Start out with a small amount of cinnamon, such as a teaspoon to each cup of ice cream base. Then taste your mix and see if it packs enough of a flavor punch for you. You can always add a dash or so more until you feel it is just right. Some recipes suggest giving ground cinnamon a light toasting in a pan before adding it to the ice cream to further boost its flavor.

There are an array of mix-ins you can add to your cinnamon ice cream to create an even tastier dessert. Toasted or candied nuts would give this creamy treat a welcome crunch. Swirling in some marshmallow creme or folding in some mini marshmallows would offer a bit of vanilla to contrast the cinnamon. Chocolate chips would be great, too, since chocolate and cinnamon are a classic pairing.  

In addition to making your own cinnamon ice cream, you could also experiment with adding cinnamon on top of other ice creams. Try mixing the cinnamon with some sugar for the perfect ice cream topping. It would give vanilla ice cream a spicy edge and enhance the flavor of chocolate. The cinnamon sugar would also taste great sprinkled on top of a strawberry or peach ice cream, bringing in a bit of warmth and lending a hint of pie to the dessert. Further, it could accentuate the flavor of coffee ice cream, making it taste like a cinnamon latte.