We wanted to develop a recipe for a fun fall float as an alternative to the ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte. Our initial idea was some sort of Butterbeer, but as we played around with recipes, a friend steered us towards Snoqualmie Ice Cream's Brown Butter Sugar Cookie frozen custard. And then it hit us: apple pie à la mode sounds like the perfect fall float. We used ginger beer to mimic the fall spices used in the baking of pies, but you can go with a sparkling apple cider if you're not a fan of ginger.
Snoqualmie Ice Cream is another great locally owned business (they're based in Maltby, WA) that strives to offer the finest quality products made with local ingredients in small batches. After trying their ice cream, we believe them!
Step 1: Gather Ingredients
Step 2: Combine Ingredients
We used one part cider to one part ginger beer. Adjust the ratio according to your personal pallete, ensuring there's the right balance of sparkle, spice, and apple! Give the ingredients a gentle stir.
Step 3: Add Snoqualmie Ice Cream
Snoqualmie Ice Cream has a ton of different flavors, from the classic mint chocolate chip and Danish vanilla bean to more unique flavors like "crispy marshmallow treat" and "French lavender"—and they're all delicious. The brown butter sugar cookie flavor matched really well with the flavors in this drink. It's made with brown butter custard and pieces of soft sugar cookies that are mixed in sparingly, so it's not overwhelming. The rich buttery flavor totally mimics the flaky crust on an apple pie, it mellows out the ginger, and because it's frozen custard, it's softer, richer, and creamier than ice cream, which means it melts really well into the float. Yum.
Allow the ice cream to sit out for several minutes, so it softens. Then, add a scoop of ice cream to each glass.
Step 4: Serve the Drinks!
Sure, you could make each drink individually, but how much better would they taste from this pumpkin drink dispenser? Read about how we made it (and how to make your own) on the blog here.