maple frozen yogurt

maple frozen yogurt

I can’t quite focus, my mind is all scattered and fragmented. A nasty voicemail left at work this morning threw me off, and I am feeling a bit of out of sorts. Like the music is playing but I can’t quite keep the beat. You know that feeling? I’d like for it to stop. And this is why I need to get the message across right away. That spoon above is full of something delicious – maple frozen yogurt. And you must make it soon. Maybe to sit on top of these. Because they go excellently together. I know this because that’s how we had ours.

maple frozen yogurt

Look, I know that it’s mid-November and that you might have retired your ice cream machine for the season, and I know what you’re thinking about homemade ice cream: all that waiting and planning ahead is just a bit too much around this harried time of year. I’ll be honest: this ice cream takes time. There are egg yolks to temper and a custard to chill. But this maple frozen yogurt – nothing to it!

First of all, this isn’t quite ice cream, nor is it quite frozen yogurt. It’s a bit of both, straddling both names and ideas. Secondly, it takes mere minutes to prepare, an hour to chill, and then the whole mess goes into the ice cream machine to emerge half an hour later as a glorious frozen maple ice cream. Or frozen yogurt. Whatever you want to call it. This is so easy and requires such minimal hands-on time, you could do the whole endeavor on a busy weeknight after getting home from work.

grabe b, baby

The original concept came from Melissa Clark’s excellent book (which if you haven’t gotten yet, please do – I can’t recommend it enough) – instead of sugar, frozen yogurt is sweetened with maple syrup – an idea both simple and yet totally genius. The second I read it, I wondered, Why didn’t I think of that?

I get this way with pretty much all of Melissa’s recipes – that instant urge to run to my kitchen and make whatever it is she just wrote about and the but of course! feeling.

So there I was, standing at my kitchen at the ready, dealing with a slight snag – I didn’t have enough frozen yogurt for the recipe and was too lazy to go out and get more. And yet – a miracle! -I rummaged around my fridge and found some sour cream on hand to make up for the difference in my yogurt shortfall. The result: not quite frozen yogurt, not quite ice cream, tasted delightfully autumnal – tangy with smoky maple undertones – and was gone in minutes.

maple frozen yogurt

It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes the simplest things often taste so incredible. And it stands to remind me that really amazing food is within our reach, no matter how busy and harried our lives can get, especially around this time of year. I take my solace in the kitchen. Somehow, amidst the craziness and noise, the kitchen is the one place where I can put everything in order. It’s my place of zen and my source of daily inspiration. Perhaps when I get back in there tomorrow, I’ll be once again in sync with the beat. I must say I’m looking forward to it.

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Maple Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite

Ingredients:
16 oz (1 pint) greek-style yogurt
8 oz sour cream (full-fat)
3/4 cups maple syrup, grade B preferable

Preparation:

Mix together the yogurt, the sour cream and the maple syrup. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

21 Comments

  • Lauren

    I completely know that no-focus feeling. In fact, that’s been me for the past 2 months or so (hopefully the tests will come back soon with some answers :) ). Anyways, this? Absolutely gorgeous. If I had an ice cream maker, I’d be making it right now.

  • Eliana

    Sometimes simple is so much better and this creation looks like it won’t disappoint and totally worth digging out the ice cream maker.

  • Tamra

    Oh my gosh! As you said, why didn’t I think of that? Not so long ago, I was making ice cream and yogurt all the time with our goat milk here on our little farm, and never once thought of making Maple Frozen Yogurt. My daughter absolutely adores both frozen yogurt and the flavor of real genuine maple syrup and this is her dream recipe. Boy, is she going to be a happy teen with mom-made frozen maple yogurt in the freezer. Thanks!

  • My Little Expat Kitchen

    The truth is I have retired my ice cream machine for the season but this ice cream makes me wanna take it out and put it straight to work. I don’t use maple syrup that often, I’m not so familiar with it but I do like its flavor. I’m curious to taste it in ice cream. Thanks for this!
    Magda

  • Claire

    This looks amazing and we’re heading into summer so frozen treats.. perfect! BUT… I don’t have an icecream maker – and no room in the kitchen for one.. I do make my own vanilla icecream by whisking it every 30 mins or so until it’s frozen (and smooth) – would the same technique work with this?
    Hope you find your mojo – I had an unfocussed unmotivated day yesterday and it was rubbish!

  • Radish

    Claire – I’ve never made ice cream by hand and sour cream/yogurt are slightly different consistencies. You can always try and see? It’s easy enough to mix together? My worry about not getting the right consistency is that for 30 minutes the ice cream is getting mixed and the little air pockets get incorporated – that’s really the beauty of frozen desserts – a little chemistry :) but try it and let us know if it’s a success! I hope it is.

  • Winnie

    Was thinking about a lighter option to go with an apple ginger cake I am making for Tday…this is perfect, though I think I’m going to sub. creme fraiche for the sour cream :) Thanks for the inspiration, and a very happy Thanksgiving…have fun in Vermont!

  • marina

    Great recipe! I have owned an ice cream maker for a few months now, and have made all sorts of ice creams, but never tried yougurt! I love sour cream and full fat yougurt, and maple syrup, if you mix them together and freeze, the combination will be yummy!. Actually, I always make my vanilla ice cream with maple syrup (grade B) (recipe from thehealthyhomeeconomist.com and Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions.) It has lots more nutrients, especially minerals and I don’t mind giving my kids this ice cream with maple syrup and raw organic egg yolks for breakfast even! :)

  • Elaine

    Thought you would like to know that even a decade later, your blog still comes up in my search. You inspired me to try a modification to your recipe. I didn’t have sour cream but had cottage cheese, so I ran that through the blender at high speed to smooth it out. The flavor is great! Thanks for the inspiration.

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