Frozen cherry yogurt made with fresh or frozen cherries is EASY to make! The tart yoghurt intensifies the sweet cherry taste.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Around this time every year, my neighbor comes by with a bag of fresh Bing cherries from her tree and a request to pick more before the birds take them.
If you have an abundance of fresh cherries (or frozen cherries), a fun and easy thing to make with them is frozen cherry yogurt.
What I love about frozen yogurt is that the yogurt is naturally tart. Bing cherries are sweet and need a bit of tartness to intensify their flavor (which is why you usually use tart cherries for cherry pie).
Also, frozen yogurt is much easier to make than custard-based ice cream, but can still be quite creamy and smooth.
This frozen yogurt will keep in the freezer for several days without going too hard (which is common with homemade ice cream).
Frozen yogurt with cherries
A cherry stone
ingredients
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3 cups pitted fresh or frozen cherries
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2 tbsp lemon juice
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3/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on how sweet the cherries are and how sweet you want your frozen yogurt to be)
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1/4 cup whole milk (can substitute half and half or heavy cream for a creamier version)
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1 1/2 cups full-fat yogurt (if using non-fat or low-fat yogurt, add 2 tablespoons heavy cream)
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2 tablespoons almond liqueur like Amaretto (optional)
method
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Boil cherries with lemon juice and sugar
Place the pitted cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
While the mixture is heating, use a potato masher to mash the berries in the pot, releasing some of their moisture.
When all the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
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Place the cherry mixture in a blender and puree until smooth
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Make the yoghurt base and chill
Mix the cherry puree, milk and yoghurt in a bowl. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour; The longer the mixture chills the better (can chill overnight).
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Process in the ice cream maker
Add the almond liqueur, if using, just prior to processing in an ice cream maker. The alcohol in the liquor helps keep the frozen yogurt smooth, but it’s not necessary.
Process the mixture in your ice cream maker for 25 minutes.
You can eat it right away (it will be quite soft) or put it in the freezer for a few hours to firm up a bit.
Links:
Chocolate Chip Cherry Ice Cream, here on Simply Recipes
Making ice cream without an ice cream maker – tips from David Lebovitz
Coconut Pinkcherry Yoghurt by Deb of Smitten Kitchen
No Recipe Cherry Jam – by David Lebovitz (no recipe because it’s so easy)
