Memorial Day has come and gone, and with it the unofficial start to summer. The weather here in New England certainly contributes to the summer mindset, as does the fact that my school lets out for summer vacation in a mere three weeks!
Given the warm near sweltering temperatures we’ve had in the Boston area for the past couple of weeks, it was a no-brainer to whip up a frosty treat to beat the heat (<– yes, I am THAT person… the one who rhymes three words out of five).
The idea for cookies & cream frozen yogurt had been brewing in the back of my mind for a while, so I was excited to finally bring the concept to fruition.
I opted for less sugar than I’ve used in other frozen yogurt recipes, as the cookies contribute quite a bit of sweetness.
The 2% Greek yogurt contributes a creaminess that I love, but don’t expect this to take just like ice cream.
I adore frozen yogurt for its slightly tangy flavor, and this one delivers on that front. As noted above, the chocolate sandwich cookies are very sweet; thus they are the perfect compliment to the tart yogurt.
Perfectly smooth frozen desserts certainly have their place, but there’s something about crunchy cookie pieces mixed throughout the creamy frozen yogurt that make eating it just that much more fun.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you could most likely get away with just combining the ingredients together and freezing the mixture in a freezer-safe container.
The churning process helps to whip air into the frozen yogurt, leading to a lighter end result… but the mixture is thick enough to freeze without first dumping it into an ice cream maker.
This frozen yogurt is a lighter way to enjoy the classic cookies & cream flavor combination; I’m thinking that a few drops of peppermint extract would be pretty darn delicious, as well!
Want a scoop?
Cookies & Cream Frozen Yogurt
Printer-Friendly Recipe
yield: 8 servings, about a scant 1/2 cup each
Ingredients:
- 3 cups plain 2% fat Greek yogurt, such as Fage or Chobani
- 1/3 cup evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
- 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla bean paste or extract
- 8 all-natural chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Newman-O’s, chopped (about 1 cup)
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine yogurt, evaporated cane juice, and vanilla bean paste (or extract). Stir until the evaporated cane juice is completely dissolved.
- Freeze according to ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions; adding in the chopped cookies during the last few minutes of churning… OR place mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze.
- Serve immediately as soft serve, or spoon into a freezer-safe container and place in freezer until “ripened” (hardened).
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
159.9 calories, 4.2 grams fat, 1.9 grams saturated fat, 8.0 grams carbohydrates, 0.3 grams fiber, 17.4 grams sugars, 9.6 grams protein
