This particular recipe had all sorts of obstacles before it was finally able to be enjoyed. I had mentioned previously about losing power for a few hours on Friday – this caused the frozen yogurt to lose the solid state that it had, resulting in having to wait all over again to set. I was okay with this, since that meant we’d have a wonderful treat during the day on Saturday. And then a huge storm hit, knocking down the transformer pole directly behind out apartment, but we still had power! I hoped we’d still be able to have the frozen yogurt. Umm.. right, they have to fix fallen transformers, right? So they shut off the power from about 5:30 AM on Saturday…until about 8 PM Sunday. Right. We weren’t touching that freezer. We ended up transferring alllll of our fridge items to Alex’s mom’s refrigerator (and we have a lot of Chobani right now) overnight, storing our immediate items in a cooler filled with ice. The freezers, luckily, stayed frozen, since we did not open them once. I finally got to enjoy the frozen yogurt today, and you better believe I had it for lunch. I’m not very good at waiting.
This frozen yogurt is made with those almond “graham” crackers that I made previously to create a cheesecake frozen yogurt, gluten free! I had some fresh cherries and blueberries on hand and was really excited to do something with them, so I decided to make this a blueberry and cherry cheesecake frozen yogurt. A very good decision indeed.
The base is made from 2% plain Chobani greek yogurt and full-fat cream cheese to make it extra creamy and delicious. I sweetened this entirely with honey to keep it as natural as possible and threw in a bit of vanilla and cinnamon for flavor. The berries were cooked down slightly so they were bursting and soft, bringing out all the flavor and sweetness. Add in the graham crackers for the cheesecake crust flavor, and ohhh you’ve got yourself a pretty darn good treat.
I’m not usually into frozen treats that aren’t chocolate, but I fell in love with this. It’s so creamy and delicious, I definitely didn’t miss the chocolate. I especially liked the fact that there is actually whole fruit in this, not just corn syrup filled jam, and the greek yogurt adds a nice little protein punch.
If you’re into non-fat options (which I am not as much – saturated fats are necessary in a healthy, balanced diet), you can use 0% Chobani (or any other greek yogurt) and Neufchatel cheese. It might just freeze a bit more solid with some ice crystals, since there aren’t those fats to keep it extra creamy. It’ll still taste delicious, though!
You can also just use regular graham crackers if you aren’t gluten intolerant, or if you don’t feel like making your own, get some gluten free graham crackers from the store. You can make this as easy as you want! You can have fun with different flavors, too, adding in some strawberries, raspberries, peaches, etc.! Just keep it at the same amount in the recipe. Have fun with it!
What is your favorite flavor of frozen yogurt (or ice cream)? Are you more into fruity varieties or rich and chocolatey?
- 1 cup cherries, rinsed, pitted, and halved
- 2 cups (1 pint) blueberries, rinsed
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1 Tbsp vanilla extract)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup raw honey
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1 Tbsp vanilla extract)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1-32 oz. container of 2% plain Chobani greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups GF graham crackers, crushed
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, while stirring, until it begins to bubble and the berries start to burst. Continue heating, smashing the berries with the side of a wooden spoon, until it begins to thicken slightly. Remove from heat, and allow to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat the honey and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and cinnamon, stirring until combined. Stir in the greek yogurt until smooth.
Transfer the yogurt base into your ice cream maker, and freeze according to the maker’s instructions.
Transfer the frozen yogurt base to an airtight container. Pour the blueberry & cherry sauce over top, and sprinkle the crushed graham crackers over top the sauce. Swirl the add-ins into the frozen yogurt using a butter knife or long spatula, until evenly dispersed.
Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes (or longer) to set. Serve. Store leftovers in airtight container.
Once the frozen yogurt has been in the freezer for more than 12 hours, you’ll want to let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes to soften before scooping.
https://cookingalamel.com/2013/07/blueberry-cherry-cheesecake-frozen-yogurt-gluten-free-option.html