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Is choosing an ice cream flavor to make ever easy?  Not for me!  But since I made this ice cream back in the fall to go with these Individual Pear Maple Cobblers and never blogged about it, I decided it was time to share the recipe with you.  It’s definitely time…because I know you’ll love it…and with Fall just around the corner (right? right???) you’ll need this cinnamon vanilla bean ice cream to go with just about every dessert you make.  Like those cobblers, or this Hill Country Peach Cobbler that you could totally make with apples and cranberries.

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Needless to say, this ice cream is outstanding.  I combined my favorite vanilla bean ice cream with a delightful cinnamon ice cream and the combination of sweet vanilla with warm and spicy cinnamon is just perfect.  As is usual with custard-based ice creams (made with egg yolks), this ice cream is dreamy-creamy and to ensure that it’s as creamy as you want it to be, allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for 5-15 minutes (depending on how warm your kitchen is) before scooping.  I’ve found that homemade ice cream is virtually impossible to scoop right from the freezer so a little patience is key here. :)

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
source: adapted from David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
10 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, broken up
5 large egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean into the warm milk as well.  Add in the broken-up cinnamon sticks.  Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Over medium low heat, rewarm the milk mixture.  With a slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon stick pieces and discard.  Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks (you can also use a large ladle here to reduce the mess of pouring), whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Put the vanilla bean into the custard and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (overnight is best).  When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving it for another use (if desired), and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.