no churn blueberry, mascarpone and cinnamon cookie ice cream

the transition from summer to fall has never tasted so good (lol)

summer is officially over. i’ve seen many a post over the past few days lamenting this fact (even though it’s technically not true) but i for one, am happy to see it go. don’t get me wrong, i love many things about summer (see: tomatoes, sunshine, spaghettieis [lol this video] and never ending evenings), but i am simply not a fan of inescapable heat, unbearable humidity and bite-me-in-the-middle-of-the-night mosquitos.

last week, berlin graced us with a heatwave and i did my best to enjoy it, as only a freelancer in charge of her own time could. i went to the pool. i took my dog for as long a walk as she could comfortably bear given she has thick fur and a penchant for trying to herd me back home. i barely cooked. it was great. but if the weekly apple weather forecast is something to plan by (which it actually really shouldn’t be), it seems that these may have been our last hot days of the season—*single tear*.

despite the cooler weather ahead, i think it goes without saying that we can, and should, and will, still eat ice cream. in fact today’s recipe might just be the ideal summer to fall ice cream flavor, combining a sweet-tart swirl of blueberry with a puff of warm cinnamon and plenty of softened chunks of lotus biscoff cookies. oh and there’s also some mascarpone in there to lend an even richer, creamier texture to this simple no churn scoop. so whether you’re like myself, happy to fall into the cooler days wrapped in jeans and a jacket, or are feeling a bit resistant and still holding out hope for another set of summer temps, this recipe is for you.

making no churn ice cream is really simple: whip heavy cream to soft peaks, fold in sweetened condensed milk and flavorings or toppings, freeze. i played with the base a little bit here (taking inspiration from the whip on my birthday cake) and added mascarpone for extra richness, but this isn’t necessary if, for some god forsaken reason, you don’t want to add it. if you’re interested in playing around with your own flavors and different bases for no churn ice cream, i recommend checking out sophie bamford’s no churn ice cream guide in her newsletter all day cake.

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this time last year:

“the bear” breakfast sandwiches

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no churn blueberry, mascarpone and cinnamon cookie ice cream

makes about about 800 grams; fits one 9x5 inch / 23x13 cm loaf pan

for the blueberry swirl

125 grams blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons sugar

for the cinnamon cookie mixture

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (i like vietnamese aka saigon cinnamon here for a sweet and spicy flavor that’s noticeably bolder than other cinnamons)

8 lotus biscoff cookies (about 60 grams, substitute: vanilla, butter, speculoos or gingerbread cookies)

for the ice cream base

100 grams cold mascarpone (optional, substitute: heavy cream)

300 grams cold heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

200 grams sweetened condensed milk

1. add blueberries and sugar to a small pot or pan and cook over low heat, stirring often, until the berries have burst (use your spoon to help break them up as whole blueberries can be a little bit too icy after freezing) and the juices are thickened, about 8 minutes. add to a bowl and set in the fridge to cool down.

2. once the blueberry mixture has been in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, break up the lotus biscoff cookies with your hands into bite size, irregular pieces. in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the mascarpone, heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt together on medium speed until soft peaks form; you can also use a hand mixer with beaters or just a good old bowl, whisk and biceps.

3. fold the sweetened condensed milk into the mascarpone cream with a rubber spatula, then transfer about half of it to a medium bowl. add the cooled blueberry mixture and fold in until well combined. fold the cinnamon and cookie pieces into the remaining base mixture.

4. pour half of the cinnamon cookie mixture into a 9x5 inch / 23x13 cm loaf pan loaf pan; i line mine with plastic wrap so i can seal it up before freezing and remove easily to slice for serving like a semifreddo, but this isn’t necessary so choose your own adventure. pour the blueberry mix on top, then repeat with the remaining cinnamon cookie mixture and flatten out the top.

5. use a chopstick inserted perpendicularly into the loaf pan to swirl through once or twice in a figure eight motion. cover with any overhanging plastic wrap, if using, and freeze for at least 8 hours before scooping, or slicing, and serving. the ice cream will keep for at least a month in the freezer—if it lasts that long!