Who doesn't love maple, or maple ice cream? Scoop it over waffles for waffles à la mode, or nestle scoops in little homemade waffle cone cups like I did here. In my mind, maple is a fall flavor and very New England, perfect for these parts and this time of year.
Use the real deal here -- only 100% pure maple syrup. Not pancake syrup, not maple-flavored syrup. I know it's more expensive, but Trader Joe's sells this bottle at a fair price. Like most ice creams, it gets slightly cooked into a custard before chilling in the fridge, churning in the machine, and firming in the freezer.
Do I recommend buying a waffle cone iron? Not really. Storebought ones are plenty tasty, but we got this as a gift along with our ice cream machine. I adapted a recipe to make cups instead of cones, using a cupcake tin. I'd tried just molding the cookie around and in little bowls, but the cupcake tin worked the best. When it's fresh off the iron, immediately push it into a cupcake well using a coffee tamper. After 5 seconds, gently ease the tamper out -- while the cookie is pliable and has taken on the cup shape, but before it hardens up and molds around your tamper. Leave them in the cupcake wells until they cool and harden.
