Who else loves ice cream year round?
I’m the kind of person who will drink smoothies in the dead of winter!
…and then crawl shivering into a blanket cocoon, only to make the same mistake happy choice again tomorrow. 😉
Yet despite my love for cold drinks, I do love the cozy holiday season. Hence, this Real Food Gingerbread Cookie Chunk Ice Cream! It combines soft, fragrant sourdough gingerbread — made with your ancient grain of choice — and creamy spiced ice cream.
Unlike most homemade ice cream, this one doesn’t freeze rock solid in the freezer! It does firm up substantially, but you’ll be able to scoop into it for days to come (if it lasts that long).
Real Food Gingerbread Cookie Chunk Ice Cream
Curl up with your coziest winter blanket and enjoy this Real Food Gingerbread Cookie Chunk Ice Cream! It combines soft, fragrant sourdough gingerbread cake with spiced, vanilla-spiked homemade ice cream for a special, oh-so-creamy dairy-free holiday dessert. But, is it healthy? It calls for ancient grains and a low-glycemic sweetener... so the answer is YES!
Ingredients
Sourdough Gingerbread
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1/4 + 1/8 cup milk
- 3/4 cup einkorn flour spelt or whole wheat will work, too
- 1 organic or pastured egg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/8 cup molasses unsulphured
- 1/8 cup raw honey
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Spiced Ice Cream
- 3-1/2 cups cream can be dairy or dairy-free such as coconut cream
- 1/2 + 1/8 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses unsulphured
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
To start the gingerbread (the morning before)...
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In a medium sized bowl, combine sourdough starter, milk, and flour. Add more flour, if necessary, until you have a very thick batter.
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Cover and set aside for 8 or more hours.
To bake the gingerbread (the evening before)...
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Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease your chosen baking dish with butter. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, whisk together egg, melted butter, coconut sugar, molasses, honey, sea salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
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Pour on top of your soured batter and mix together vigorously until well combined.
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Add baking powder and baking soda to the batter. Quickly and carefully stir to incorporate.
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Pour into a greased 8" baking pan.
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Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let come to room temperature, then cover and chill in the refrigerator until ice cream is made (see below).
To make the ice cream filling (the morning of)...
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Combine all ingredients in a blender such as the Vitamix.
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Blend on medium-low until combined.
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Pour into a Mason jar or other container, cover, and let chill completely in the back of the refrigerator.
To make the ice cream (the afternoon of)...
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Choose a 6-cup container in which you'll store the ice cream. Put it in the freezer to chill.
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Make ice cream according to ice cream machine's instructions. In my Cuisinart, my ice cream takes about 25 minutes to churn.
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About 5 minutes before your ice cream is done, remove gingerbread from fridge and slice 1/2 of it into about 1x1" cubes.
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When ice cream is done, scoop it into the chilled container.
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Gently and quickly stir in about 1/2 of the gingerbread cubes.
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Cover and put in back of the freezer to chill.
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For soft serve ice cream, either enjoy immediately or let chill for 1 to 2 hours for serving. For ice cream with a firmer texture, let chill for up to 6 hours. Enjoy!
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The remaining 1/2 gingerbread is not needed in this recipe so feel free to enjoy it as snacks or additional treats! It is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
*This is a sweet and rich ice cream, so a small serving is completely satisfying!
*You can reduce the sweetener if you wish, but the ice cream won't be as creamy and smooth. Rest assured, however, I've chosen coconut sugar -- a low-glycemic, mineral-rich sugar -- as the main sweetener for my recipe which means you can still feel good about indulging! As for the molasses, it's a powerhouse of potassium, calcium, multiple B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and manganese!
*For more tips on how to make the best and creamiest homemade ice cream, see this article. Here's the most important one: Make sure your ice cream maker base has been frozen (preferably in the very back of your freezer) for at least 24 hours prior to churning.
*The sourdough gingerbread recipe is adapted, with only one or two minor tweaks, from Erin VanderLugt's recipe in our Sourdough eCourse.
Last but not least, is there any doubt that this Real Food Gingerbread Cookie Chunk Ice Cream is kid-approved? It’s only the second time my son has had ice cream, and he devoured it! Once it was gone, he wanted to eat the bowl. 😉
Want more yummy allergy-friendly holiday recipes? Check out these delicious treats!
- How To Make Homemade Ice Cream (KYF163)
- Spicy Chocolate Gingersnaps {gluten-free & egg-free}
- Honey-Sweetened Ginger Beer {probiotic, non-alcoholic, GAPS-friendly natural soda!}
- Maca Gingersnap No-Bake Treats (no dairy, eggs, soy, gluten, grains, nuts, or peanuts)
- Paleo Sugar Cookies With Pumpkin Glaze (easy fall gluten-free dessert!)
- 40 Deliciously Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes
- 17 Instant Pot Holiday Desserts (Paleo, Gluten-Free & Keto Recipes!)
What is your favorite holiday season treat? Does this Real Food Gingerbread Cookie Chunk Ice Cream sound as good to you as it does to me?
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Wonderful recipe….
Is it the molasses and coconut oil that makes it softer? Is there a GF option?
Kate
Hi Kate! Thank you! I do think the molasses makes the ice cream softer, yes 🙂 There isn’t coconut oil in the actual ice cream itself (just in the gingerbread) so I don’t think it plays much of a role.
As for GF, you can certainly swap out the gingerbread recipe above for your favorite GF gingerbread. I’ve never made a GF gingerbread so I don’t have one I can recommend, unfortunately. If you were up for a twist, you could try these GF gingersnaps in the ice cream instead. When I make them, I add 1 tablespoon of honey to the recipe, leave out the fresh ginger, and cook them for only 10-12 minutes instead of 20. Otherwise, I follow the recipe as written. 🙂 Hope that helps!