Homemade Candied Pecan Pumpkin Ice Cream Drumsticks
Inspired by the childhood classic, these homemade ice cream drumsticks are filled with roasted pumpkin ice cream, dipped in dark chocolate, and dusted with candied pecan bits!
Remember that homemade roasted pumpkin puree that we made on Monday? Well, today we’re going to use it for something very, very special! This is probably the hundredth time that I’ve stated this in writing, but I literally could not be more excited about today’s frozen treat.
I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut these past few months, so when I was invited by Sara (Cake Over Steak) to partake in today’s Virtual Pumpkin Party (70 other amazing food bloggers are participating!), it felt particularly…challenging.
A new pumpkin recipe? Is that even possible these days? Pumpkin is quite possibly the most exploited ingredient of all time (I’m talking to you, Trader Joe’s) right now. I brainstormed for weeks and nothing.
Nada!
The idea for these pumpkin ice cream drumsticks slowly came to me over the past two weeks, and I almost jumped with joy! It felt like a very small, but noteworthy victory. I practically ran to the grocery store to grab the ingredients.
The recipe title is a bit long (apologies), but I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving out a single element of this dessert. It just seemed wrong. The candied pecans are a must! A simple “pumpkin drumsticks” wasn’t going to suffice either. Hence, homemade candied pecan pumpkin ice cream drumsticks.
Let’s.Do.This.
These homemade drumsticks are filled with roasted pumpkin ice cream, dipped in a dark chocolate shell, and sprinkled with homemade candied pecan bits. If the name gives you any hints, they were inspired by classic Nestlé® drumsticks.
Except totally fancied up–as I have a tendency to do! Add some of my Windy City hot dogs to the mix, and this blog is basically turning into a fancy ball park food blog. I’m not mad about it. Who says food can’t be fun, whimsical, and a little bit fancy all at the same time?
P.S. If said company starts selling pumpkin drumsticks next fall, you saw them here first. Just sayin’.
So, let’s start with the most integral part of today’s dessert: the roasted pumpkin ice cream! My version below was slightly adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. If you’ve ever splurged on a pint of store-bought Jeni’s ice cream or visited one of the stores, you know that Jeni makes some of the best ice creams out there.
The original ice cream recipe called for five-spice powder, and I adapted it to have more a classic pumpkin pie flavor.
My version is infused with whole cinnamon sticks, allspice, clove, ginger, cardamom, and, as strange as this may sound, dried bay leaf (inspired by The Flavor Bible). It’s pretty darn delicious in its own right, so regardless of whether you decide to make the drumsticks, I highly recommend making a batch of this ice cream.
Next up! The candied pecans! Yes, we’re going to the trouble of making candied pecans, but you can totally accomplish this as the ice cream base is firming up in the freezer. Or, you can make a batch several days in advance (along with the ice cream)!
The recipe below makes extra for snacking purposes (you could also bag up the extras and give them to a friend over the holidays!).
Warning: they are extremely addictive.
Lastly. The dark chocolate shell. It is essentially a homemade version of a ‘magic shell’ achieved by melting semi-sweet chocolate and coconut oil together. Do not substitute with chocolate chips, as they will not work properly.
The coconut oil has the dual effect of thinning down the chocolate (so you don’t have an insanely thick shell that you can’t bite into!), as well as providing saturated fat (which solidifies when it comes into contact with the frozen ice cream).
Once you dip the frozen ice cream cones into the chocolate, be sure to sprinkle the chocolate immediately with the chopped candied pecans! You can either dip the ice cream entirely in dark chocolate, or you can use a spoon and do a fun, drizzling (Halloween cob-web like) effect!
Lastly, I used store-bought waffle cones for this recipe. If you are feeling incredibly ambitious (and own a homemade waffle cone maker), you can absolutely make them from scratch–and I commend you for doing so.
If you love the idea of making these, but don’t feel like making everything from scratch, here are a few time-saving tips:
- use store-bought pumpkin ice cream in lieu of homemade (Talenti makes a pumpkin pie ice cream!) ice cream.
- substitute homemade candied pecans with chopped, toasted pecans or roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
- or buy candied pecans from Trader Joe’s!
Homemade Candied Pecan Pumpkin Ice Cream Drumsticks
Inspired by the childhood classic, these homemade ice cream drumsticks are filled with roasted pumpkin ice cream, dipped in dark chocolate, and dusted with candied pecan bits!
Ingredients
Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream (Makes 1 Quart):
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch’
- 1.5 ounces (3 tablespooons) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- 3/4 cup homemade pumpkin puree (store-bought would also work)
- 1/4 cup (84 grams) honey
- 1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup (155 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 pinches of ground cardamom
- 2 pinches of ground cloves
- 1 pinch of ground allspice
- 1 pinch of ground ginger
Candied Pecans (Makes 2.5 Cups):
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2.5 cups (300 grams) raw pecan halves
For the Ice Cream Drumstick Assembly:
- 11 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (do not substitute with chocolate chips)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (at liquid state) or vegetable oil
- 6-8 store-bought waffle cones (*a few extra can be helpful in case of accidental breakage!)
- homemade candied pecans (see above)
Instructions
- Prepare the Pumpkin Ice Cream (Makes 1 Quart): In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and about 2 teaspoons of the whole milk until smooth and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese and salt. Add the pumpkin puree and honey and whisk until smooth.
- Combine the remaining whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and spices in a large saucepan (at least 3 to 4 quarts in size). Place the milk mixture over medium-high heat and bring to a rolling boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it has thickened.
- Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese-pumpkin mixture and whisk until smooth and well combined. Place the bowl in a large ice bath until cool, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is cold, churn in an ice cream maker according to your manufacturer’s directions. Place in a container, cover the surface with parchment paper, and allow to chill for at least 4 to 6 hours, or until firm.
- Prepare the Candied Pecans (Makes 2 Cups): Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large sheet pan with a Silpat (silicon mat) or parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, ground spices, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until very frothy. Add the raw pecan halves to the egg whites and gently toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture and gently toss until the pecans are evenly coated. Spread the pecans out on the lined baking sheet into a thin layer. Bake at 250 degrees for 40-50 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes, until the pecans are dry to the touch and the sugar mixture has hardened. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely before storing in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.
- Assemble the Drumsticks: Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften at room temperature slightly, as you melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate and oil in a double-broiler and melt, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate has melted completely and is smooth and shiny. Spoon about 2-3 teaspoons of melted chocolate into the bottom of each waffle cone. Set the cones upright (small mason jars or glasses work very well for this; alternatively, you can cut small “X”s with a knife into the top of a cardboard egg crate, which also works well to hold the waffle cones upright) and place the cones in the freezer for 10 minutes or so, until the chocolate has set.
- Using a spoon, fill each waffle cone with softened pumpkin ice cream until the cones are completely full. Top each cone with a full scoop of ice cream, gently pressing the ice cream into the waffle cone (be gentle, as the waffle cones can crack if you are too aggressive).
- Place the waffle cones back into the freezer for at least an hour, or until the ice cream is very hard. During this time, I like to keep the melted chocolate in the double-broiler (set above a pot of warm water), so that the chocolate stays completely melted.
- Roughly chop a little over 1 cup of candied pecans and place in a bowl for easy grabbing. Make sure the chocolate is completely melted and lukewarm in temperature. Remove the waffle cones from the freezer and dip the filled cones, one at a time, in the melted, lukewarm chocolate until the ice cream is fully coated in a thin layer (I like to tilt the double-broiler so that the melted chocolate pools in one edge, making for easy dipping)– another alternative is to use a spoon and do a fun, drizzling (cob-web like) effect!
- Hold the cones upside-down to allow any excess chocolate to drizzle back into the pan, place the cones upright, and immediately sprinkle the tops with chopped candied pecans.
- Set the waffle cone upright in a small mason jar (or back in the egg crate). Repeat with the remaining cones and place back in the freezer until the chocolate has completely set, roughly 10-15 minutes, before serving. Alternatively, you make these ahead of time and wrap the drumsticks in parchment or wax paper for easy storage and grabbing.
Notes
Spiced pumpkin ice cream lightly adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams At Home.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 792Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 802mgCarbohydrates: 83gFiber: 5gSugar: 39gProtein: 17g
A Beautiful Plate provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
Could these possibly be any more perfect! What an awesome idea! Totally love!
Thank you so much Tori!
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You just blew my mind – homemade drumsticks sound like the best thing ever!!! But dangerous. There is no way I could only eat one fully knowing that another one was sitting close by. Also, looks like we brought a similar ice cream to the table!! It’s the dang best, right??
TOO funny. Wish I had thought of making mine dulce de leche, womp womp. 🙂 And YES, I love that ice cream.
These look amazing, I love everything about that and I am so having a new craving right now. Would these work with white chocolate? I have a feeling it would be delicious.
I actually was *this* close to coating them in caramelized white chocolate, which I think would be amazing! I totally think white chocolate could work, but I assume that the magic shell ratio might need to be changed a bit? Magic shells tend to work a bit better for dark chocolate (less cocoa fat %) at setting up, but I’m 100% sure you could!
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Um Okay I may have just had a real pumpkin moment in my office. I need these in my life ASAP! Such a creative idea in a “been there done that” category! Three cheers for pumpkin goodness!
Thank you Kelsey!!!! 🙂 Also, now I kinda want to know what a real pumpkin moment is, ha!
I AM IN LOVE. This is so perfect. Drumsticks conveniently come in packages of four so my parents used to buy us a box from a grocery store on our road trips instead of gas station snacks. This is giving me so much nostalgia right now, and making me so happy!! Love this!
Oh my gosh! I LOVE THAT. I wish that had been my tradition growing up! Sounds like so much fun – although I have two siblings, so we would have been one short 🙂
So. Much. Yes! Pass a few cones my way, please. I just recently got my hands on Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and I’ve been going ice cream crazy ever since. It really is the best!
Isn’t it amazing!?? Such a dangerous thing to know about! Thanks Jennie!
This is literally the pumpkin recipe of my dreams! You’re a true food artist, my dear!
You are so sweet!!!! Thank you so, so much!!
I’ve never seen bay leaf in a ice cream recipe – I’m so intrigued!! Seriously though, I want every part of this recipe – it’s sinful! I wonder wheat this would be like in a bowl instead of on a cone… going to have to test that out!
I’ve heard of bay leaf infused ice cream (relatively recently?) – but I got the idea from the Flavor Bible, as one of the chefs thinks it imparts more of a true pumpkin pie flavor, which I totally can understand. I totally think this would work in a bowl too!!!
Now, this is how you get over the hump! DAMN GIRL. I like your take on ice cream! Also, epic photos. Just saying.
Thank you so much dear friend! Maybe that should be my new Wednesday rule? Eat drumsticks? Sounds good to me.
Okay – you have my mouth watering with candied pecans but ALSO – these look GORGEOUS! I don’t even want them to be eaten bc they are so pretty!
Thank you so much Yelle! Also, I totally owe you an email (like a month later?) – I’m so sorry!!! Life has been incredibly hectic lately. I promise I will soon!
STOP IT! I can’t even handle how bad I want one of these!!
HA!!! xox
Girrrrrl you are a wizard! Why aren’t there drumsticks for every season?! Also, can I come down to Chicago and you can teach me your photography goddess ways and I’ll trade you cookies? 🙂
You are so sweet Abby! I’m starting to wonder why there aren’t drumsticks every season too (in fact, I might do a new one every season and have already been brainstorming winter versions). ON IT! 🙂 Also, you are more than welcome to visit me in Chicago any day! But you might be surprised at how much of a hot mess I am most days. Also, I seriously struggled with these photographs, so that means a LOT!
I need to pick my jaw off the floor and run to the store to grab the ingredients to make these drumsticks.
Awww! Thank you so much Nicole! Please let me know if you do 🙂
I cannot even deal with all of the deliciousness going on here. This is ultimate pumpkin party perfection, girl!
Aww, thanks Stephanie! Um, maybe we stuff your brioche bread with this pumpkin ice cream??? That sounds like an excellent idea.
These drumsticks look heavenly! So in LOVE!
Thanks so much Lauren!
Looks like like waiting for the right idea was worth it for this one! Those drumsticks look incredible. Oh, and I am a fool for Jeni’s ice creams – give me all the Brown Butter Almond Brittle, please! 🙂
I am a fool for Jeni’s too! And it’s dangerous that I live in a city that has several of her stores. I had a salted peanut ice cream at the store just a few weeks ago, and it was incredible. I was *this* close to getting the almond one! I need to go back!!
Laura, these are ***PERFECT*** I am loving all the layers of flavor. Do you have any extras you could send me :)?
Thank you so much Brandon! That means a lot coming from you! I do have two extra drumsticks in my freezer that have your name on them! 🙂
These. Are. Amazing!!! Can I come over for a pumpkin ice cream drumstick making + girl talk hang mesh because that’s basically all I want to do forevermore. And total WHOA re bayleaf! That must add incredible depth to these, Laura. So excited to try!
THANK YOU LILY!!! Also, I’m totally obsessed with that polenta you posted and it is pretty much all I can think about (chanterelles are basically my favorite thing ever). I got the idea of the bay leaf from The Flavor Bible. One the chefs mentioned that it helps bring out the flavor of pumpkin even more and gives it more a true pumpkin pie flavor, and I have to say, it’s true!
Laura this are incredible!! It is hard to believe you have been in an ideas rut – drumstick pumpkin pie with candied pecans and chocolate dip is like a dream ice cream flavour and texture combo <3
AND they are still perfect for those of us in the southern hemisphere heading into hot weather, unlike many hot pumpkin dishes – so perfect!! X
THANK YOU!!!! I really have been in an ideas rut! 🙂 I also thought it might be fun to have a frozen pumpkin treat for something a bit different. It’s actually very strange, Chicago has been abnormally warm as well – not HOT, but mid 70’s even at night recently. So, I’m taking advantage of it for as long as I can!
These look incredible, Laura! Also, so clever! I hope you cheer’sd two of them together and then ate them both in victory. It’s really a task figuring out something new that hasn’t been done with pumpkin, seriously. It’s everywhere this time of year.
Thanks so much Cindy! HA! I should have done that! And yes, I feel like it’s only going to progressively get harder to come up with new and different pumpkin recipes each year.
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These are AMAZING and I love your attention to detail. Every last component, down to the bay leaves is perfect. You killed this party lady!!
Thank you so, so much!!!
These look sooooo GOOD!! Need one right now!
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I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again this post is like over the top amazing. KILLIN’ it girl, xxxx!!!!
You are so kind! Thank you!!!
I think my pumpkin dreams just came TRUE!!!
Laura,
I am so glad that I found this recipe! Thank you so much! 🙂
I really adore homemade pumpkin ice cream and I would be really happy if you can share another cooking idea how to combine it with caramel, for instance.
Thank you for taking this into consideration!
Kisses,
Lina
This is an absolute must-try! I can’t believe that I want to eat ice-cream in the end of autumn.
I have never heard about ice cream with pumpkin. You are super creative person!
These pumpkin ice cream drumsticks that you whipped up look soooo good! I have been resisting buying an ice cream maker but looking at these I want to run out, buy one and make this today! 🙂
I highly recommend the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment (if you own a stand mixer!), as it doesn’t take up as much space and works great! I definitely don’t make ice cream all the time, but it is a really fun (not necessarily a need, but a want) kitchen appliance! 🙂
You’re an ice cream cone wizard!!! I would snatch one of these up in a heartbeat. Thanks so much for this beautiful addition to the pumpkin party. 😉