It’s blueberry picking time again and while we were up fishing in our hometown last weekend we picked a bunch of blueberries on the campsite where we stopped for lunch. And this weekend is the Blueberry Arts Festival so I figured I should post a blueberry recipe. I actually made this recipe a couple weeks ago with blueberries I had in my freezer from last year. It’s a great way to use frozen blueberries.
After I made my Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt, it was so good that I immediately started thinking about what I could make next. Well as I’m putting the ice cream containers in the freezer, I see some frozen blueberries and it hits me – blueberry frozen yogurt. As the idea simmers over the next couple weeks, I start thinking of Coldstone and one of my favorite mix-ins – graham crackers. I knew they would be a good combination. Turns out I was right. The sweet blueberry frozen yogurt and the honey crunch of the swirled graham crackers are a match made in dessert heaven.
Here’s what you need:
Start by making a blueberry puree. I knew I wanted blueberry frozen yogurt, not vanilla frozen yogurt with chunks of blueberries and this was just the way to infuse the flavor throughout the yogurt base. Start with some blueberries, and equal parts water, and sugar. Stir together and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes then puree with an immersion blender.
At this point, if you want to you could strain this mixture through a couple layers of cheese cloth or some coffee filters to get it perfectly smooth. I didn’t mind having a little texture and like Tory, now and again, I have a bit of a lazy streak where I feel the need to skip steps that aren’t necessary. Since this recipe is my creation, I deemed it unnecessary. BUT if you want really, really smooth frozen yogurt you can definitely take the time.
Allow the blueberry syrup to cool while you make the frozen yogurt base. First mix together Greek yogurt, half and half, sugar, and vanilla until totally incorporated. Then stir in your blueberry puree – look at that nice purple color.
If you checked out my Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt recipe you’ll notice that I used fat free Greek yogurt and this time I used 2%. Well between those two recipes I did some reading and found out that one of that factors that makes ice-cream stay a little softer in the freezer is fat. In order to get a little softer frozen yogurt, I chose to go up to 2%. I gave me a nice balance in keeping a relatively low fat content but getting a little softer end product. Use whatever you want – just be prepared to let the frozen yogurt sit on the counter a few minutes before scooping if you cut out more fat.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight. Then it’s time to churn. This is also the time when I debated adding some whole blueberries. I decided against it because I thought they would just be icy blueberry bites in the middle of frozen yogurt, and when I tasted the yogurt base, it already had a nice blueberry flavor. Feel free to add about 1-2 cups of blueberries if you’re in the mood. I do think that wild blueberries would better than the larger store bought berries as a mix-in.
Pour the yogurt base into your ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Here’s what mine looked like before and after – it’s a tasty and amazing transformation.
Now, I promised you a graham cracker swirl. So at this point stir in about ¾-1 cup of crushed graham crackers in 2 batches. Don’t mix it until it’s evenly incorporated, you want a little bit of a swirl effect.
Now all that’s left is to pour it into freezer containers and pop it into the freezer for a couple hours before enjoying.
If I keep up this streak of making frozen yogurt – I might be challenging Tory’s reign as ice-cream queen. I know, I know it’s not ice-cream, but it churns in an ice-cream maker. Maybe Tory’s title is secure for a little bit longer. At least until she tries this…
- ⅓ c sugar
- ½ c water
- 1-1/2 c frozen blueberries
- 1-1/2 c 2% Greek yogurt
- 1-1/2 c half and half
- ⅔ c sugar
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 c crushed graham crackers
- In a small saucepan bring ⅓ c sugar, water and the blueberries to a gentle boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then puree with an immersion blender. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Make the frozen yogurt base by whisking together the Greek yogurt, half and half, remaining sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the cooled blueberry puree. Chill in the fridge overnight.
- Pour into ice-cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. When mixture has finished churning, gently fold the graham crackers in two batches. Allow some clusters to remain as a sort of swirl.
- Pour into freezer safe containers and freeze for a couple hours or until firm enough to scoop.
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