Coffee Oreo Frozen Yogurt

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.”

~Don Kardong

My first foray into ice cream making began today and I must say, it was a success. Living in NYC it was slightly harder to find all these ingredients from one store (ah the beauties of living in a suburb!) but I managed to make it back from all the stores in one piece.

I decided that if I was going to make ice cream, I should try with some of the best recipes. So, I let David Lebovitz guide me. I clicked my heels three times, and found myself knee deep in a pile of outrageously scrumptious, perfectly sweetened yet mildly tart, coffee frozen yogurt.

Behold - The Power of the Perfect Scoop!

Though his recipe probably didn’t need to be adapted all that much, I figured that I would give it my own twist. I was inspired to add oreos because one of my favorite ice creams in the world, executed so brilliantly by JP Licks, is coffee oreo. It has a well-balanced mix of cream and coffee, and large enough chunks of oreos that you can even taste the oreo cream. Magnificent!

Being that I don’t want to have an entire box of oreos in the house (I know, I know, it sounds strange from a self-proclaimed sweet-a-holic, but I thought that was nutritionally irresponsible) I was on the hunt for 12 oreos to add to David Lebovitz’s recipe. Trader Joes failed me, as did Gristedes and Duane Reade. So, on the fourth try, I went to a tiny little, cigarette-smelling, scratch ticket selling NYC bodega. Saved, yet again, by the joys of NYC shopping. I picked up 2 individual 6-packs of oreos and was on my merry way.

As for the coffee. This was a challenge. It’s hard to believe, but I don’t have a coffee maker. The original recipe called for 8oz of brewed espresso. So, I marched into my local Starbucks and asked for 8oz of espresso. The woman behind the counter was beyond sweet, and told me that 8oz of espresso would cost me a whopping $10-$12. That seemed like highway robbery. So she informed me that Italian Roast Starbucks Via was quite close (coffee enthusiasts, please don’t kill me here!) and for $2.89 I bought a 3 pack of the instant magic. It did the trick!

The Usual Suspects - Getting Ready to Enter the Mix!

Below is the recipe for this treat. I decided to bring the quart to my office, Project Sunshine for some “professional” feedback. All I have heard is the sweet sounding, low-tone mumblings that sound a little like Yum Yum Yum.

I should note though, that while this is perfectly tart to my liking, The Husband said that it was slightly too “plain yogurt-y” and “slightly too sour” for his oh-so-refined palette. So, I will ultimately rework this recipe for those of you who are not such fans of tart. But for me, it was delectable!

Coffee Frozen Yogurt

Adapted from “The Perfect Scoop” by David Lebovitz

Ingredients

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

pinch salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup Italian Roast Starbucks Via Coffee

1/4 teaspoon finely ground dark roast coffee

12 oreos – quartered

Method
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth and well-combined. Pour into a container with a lid and chill for two hours.

Freeze mixture in your ice cream maker for 20 minutes; at approximately minute 18 add in the oreos and let churn for 2 more minutes.

May be eaten immediately, but will be more like soft-serve ice cream. Put it in the freezer for about 2 hours to harden slightly. You will not be disappointed by this consistency!

Makes about 1 quart of frozen yogurt.

Drum Roll Please...The Finished Product!