The last time we talked, I promised a culinary celebration of Spring and strawberry season. This dessert? I think it does the job.
Remember that time I made Joe-Joe Fro-Yo? This is a simple variation on that same recipe, but replacing the oreos with fruit. Dietitian Nobel Prize material, right? While not exactly ground-breaking recipe modification, it yields a sweet treat with genuine whole food benefits. Even more justifiable than the original!
But if you try this out, I think you’ll agree that a treat this tasty needs no justification. You get an explosion of flavor from the fresh berries in a rich and creamy yogurt base. Irresistibly pink, sweet, and super easy to make!
The key to success here is macerating the berries. Toss them with the sugar ten minutes before you’re ready to start churning, and let it draw out the juicy goodness. Then just take out a fork and smush them a little, just partially, to create a balance of nice fresh berry chunks vs. smooth puree to permeate the whole dessert. Stir in yogurt and vanilla, churn it up, and you’re done!
You can vary the amount of sugar to suit your tastes, and the baseline sweetness of your berries. These berries were super sweet and flavorful (seasonal and straight off the bush!) so I really just used a scant ¼ cup, and ended up with a perfectly balanced sweet/tart frozen yogurt. The only issue is that the less sugar you add, the harder the dessert will freeze. My batch froze very solid, but letting it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before scooping to soften up works like a charm. Also the fat content of the yogurt plays a role in this; like my previous froyo recipe, I recommend whole-milk Greek yogurt for optimal texture.
Now readers, I’m going to ask for your help. I am now accepting suggestions for the rest of my strawberry harvest. Any fresh ideas? Because if left to my own devices, I will probably just want to keep churning up this froyo until my supply runs out.
Fresh Strawberry Frozen Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups Greek yogurt full-fat or your choice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the sliced strawberries and sugar. Allow them to sit at room temperature for until they begin to release their juices, about 10 minutes. Partially mash the berries with a fork, leaving some larger chunks. Stir in the vanilla extract and Greek yogurt, mixing well with a rubber spatula. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Note: because the Greek yogurt is already thick, it will be somewhat difficult/messy to spoon the mixture into the machine – just go with it. After the mixture has completed churning, it will be a soft-serve consistency. You can eat it this way, or transfer to the freezer to further freeze for a few hours. When eating on subsequent days, the frozen yogurt will be more hardened, so leaving it on the counter for ~10 minutes before serving will make it easier to scoop.
1 Tbsp of vodka will act as an antifreeze and help keep it smooth and creamy and will help keep it from freezing too hard.
Since sugar is an antifreeze, this addition is especially important if you decide to use a sugar substitute in place of the sugar.