No Churn Gingerbread Ice Cream

1. Put a 1.5 litre loaf tin or freezer container into the freezer while you work.
2. Tip 150g of the Kiddiewinks into a bag and crush them with a rolling pin to gravel, not dust.
3. Whip the cold cream to soft peaks and stop while it still slides off the whisk.
4. Whisk the condensed milk, the ginger, the mixed spice, the vanilla and the salt in a large bowl.
5. Fold a third of the cream into the condensed milk to loosen it.
6. Fold in the rest of the cream in two goes, stopping the moment the streaks disappear.
7. Fold two thirds of the crushed biscuit through the mixture.
8. Scrape it into the cold tin and level the top with a spatula.
9. Scatter the last of the crushed biscuit over the surface.
10. Drag a skewer through the golden syrup and the surface in four lines to ripple it.
11. Press baking paper onto the surface, cover the tin, and freeze for at least 6 hours.
12. Move the tin to the fridge for 10 minutes before you scoop.

Storage, swaps and the gluten free line

Two thirds in, one third on. Biscuit folded through a wet base softens overnight into something closer to cake, which is pleasant but not what you crushed it for. The layer scattered on the surface sits above the ice cream, stays dry and gives you the crunch on the first spoonful.

Keep it in the coldest part of the freezer with paper on the surface and a lid over the top, and it holds well for about a month. Ice crystals come from air and from thawing, so scoop what you need and put the tin straight back rather than leaving it on the bench while you eat. The Chocolate Gingerbread Man in the gluten free version is the like for like swap if you want the crushed biscuit to be chocolate. The standard Chocolate Gingerbread Man is a different product at the same price and is the one to reach for when nobody at the table needs gluten free.

This is the frozen end of the Christmas dessert table. No bake gingernut cheesecake jars use crushed ginger biscuits too but set in the fridge rather than the freezer, so the two can go out together, and easy Christmas desserts has the rest. If gingerbread at your place means building rather than eating, gingerbread house kits compared is the piece you want.

Common questions

Do you need an ice cream machine for no churn ice cream?

No. A churner works by keeping the mixture moving so ice crystals stay small. Whipped cream does the same job a different way: the air you beat into it is already through the mixture, and the sugar in the condensed milk lowers the freezing point so the result stays scoopable. That is the whole trick, and it is why the two ingredients have to be cream and sweetened condensed milk rather than milk and sugar.

How long does homemade ice cream keep in the freezer?

About a month while it still tastes the way you made it, and safely for a good deal longer than that. What goes first is texture. Air dries the surface and every trip out of the freezer melts a little and refreezes as grit, so press paper onto the surface, keep the lid on and do not store it in the door. If it has gone icy, let it soften for 15 minutes, beat it smooth again and refreeze it once.

Is this gingerbread ice cream gluten free?

It can be. Kiddiewinks are the gluten free line in the Gingerbread Folk range and they are the ones crushed through this base, so start there and read the panel on the pack in your hand. The rest is down to your own ingredients, so check the cream, the condensed milk, the vanilla and the golden syrup as well, and skip the plain gingerbread men listed for serving.

Gingerbread Folk Gluten Free Kiddiewinks is $15.95 for a 225g pack and one batch uses 150g of it. The rest of the Gingerbread Folk range is on one page, alongside the wider gingerbread shelf, everything else marked gluten free, and the festive entertaining essentials. Shipping is free Australia-wide on orders over $100.