Frozen Cinnamon Nut Yogurt

Frozen yogurt that actually tastes like yogurt, not just sweet ice cream pretending. Vanilla yogurt, whipping cream, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and chopped walnuts get mixed together, chilled, and churned in an ice cream maker. The result is tangy, creamy, and loaded with crunchy nut pieces in every scoop.

The whipping cream is what gives this a smooth, scoopable texture instead of the icy, crystalline mess you get when you freeze plain yogurt. It adds richness and fat that prevent large ice crystals from forming during churning.

Chilling the mixture for 30 minutes before churning is a must. Starting with a cold base means the ice cream maker works faster and produces a smoother, creamier texture.

Pro Tips

• Toast the walnuts before adding them. Toasted nuts stay crunchier in frozen desserts than raw ones.
• A pinch of salt sounds odd in a dessert, but it amplifies the cinnamon flavor and rounds out the sweetness.
• Don’t over-churn. Stop when the yogurt is the consistency of soft-serve. It firms up further in the freezer.
• Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping if it’s been in the freezer overnight.

Variations

• Use pecans or almonds instead of walnuts for a different nut flavor.
• Add a swirl of honey or caramel sauce during the last minute of churning.
• Fold in crushed graham crackers along with the nuts for a cinnamon-crunch frozen yogurt.