Sometimes it’s just too hot to bake a cherry pie. Eat your pie in ice cream form with this Cherry Pie Ice Cream made with homemade cherry pie filling.

This summer has been an unusual one in Pennsylvania. While friends on the west coast are facing a major drought, it won’t stop raining on the east coast. Thunderstorms, flash floods, even tornadoes. I wish there was a way to evenly distribute the weather to help friends out while simultaneously giving us a break with a few days of sunshine. Usually I go to the park for a walk in the evenings, but I’ve had to cancel as it was pouring outside. Rainy weather is also a nightmare for me to photograph as I almost always shoot with natural light. I need my sunshine to function.

Speaking of rain, I picked cherries in the rain a few weeks ago. After making a regular cherry pie for Father’s Day and two mini cherry pies for you, I had just enough cherries left to make this Cherry Pie Ice Cream. Funny how quickly 4 pounds of cherries goes by when you’re baking (especially since a regular pie uses 5 cups of cherries). I wanted a way to enjoy cherry pie without having to bake anything. That’s when I got the idea to mix homemade cherry pie filling in with homemade vanilla ice cream. Cherry pie served on a cone (or in a bowl) without baking. Now that’s my kind of summer dessert.

I used tart cherries (aka sour cherries) for the pie filling as I prefer them for baking over sweet cherries. However, most grocery stores don’t carry that variety, so you’d have better luck at farmer’s markets. I’ve also seen canned tart cherries. I personally haven’t tried a can, but if you can’t find fresh, that may be another option for you.

Because fruit typically freezes hard, I used a little bit of vodka in the filling to help soften it a bit. However, it’s optional if you don’t have any or don’t want to use alcohol; you can still eat the cherries without it.

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Cherry Pie Ice Cream

Yield: 1 pint

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Freeze Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes

Sometimes it’s just too hot to bake a cherry pie. Eat your pie in ice cream form with this Cherry Pie Ice Cream made with homemade cherry pie filling.

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Ingredients

Cherry Pie Filling

• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vodka (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-3 drops red food coloring
• 1 cup pitted tart cherries

Ice Cream

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make the pie filling first: In a medium saucepan, bring the water, sugar, cornstarch, and vodka to a boil, whisking often. Boil for 1-3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in almond extract and food coloring then stir in the cherries. Cool to room temperature.
2. Make the ice cream: In a large saucepan, warm the milk, 1/2 cup cream, sugar, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks until lightly beaten. Whisk in some of the warm milk mixture then pour it all back into the saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking often, until thickened.
4. Place the remaining 1/2 cup cream and vanilla in a heatproof bowl sitting in an ice bath and place a fine mesh strainer on top. Remove the ice cream from the heat and pour through the strainer, discarding anything left behind. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold.
5. Once cold, churn the ice cream mixture according to your ice cream machine's instructions. Once churned, fold in the cherry pie filling. Freeze until firm, preferably overnight.

Notes

Vodka is used to help soften the cherries after freezing. You can leave it out if you don't want to use alcohol.

 
Source: Ice cream base adapted from The Perfect Scoop

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