For some reason, surviving the month of July is always a major feat for me. In June, we’re excited that school is out, we end up traveling a lot, we have a lot of birthdays and other celebrations, and it just seems to fly by. In August, we’re gearing up for school and making all sorts of last-minute fun memories. But July? July drags on. July is hot. If I ever have a really bad month, it’s almost always July.
Guess what? July is over. Even though this wasn’t really a bad one (not like the July of Lost Jobs or the July of Abcessed Teeth or the July of the Water Heater Leaking through the Ceiling and onto the Oven, Thus Frying the Electrical Panel), I’m glad it’s over. And when I’m glad, I eat cheesecake. Or cheesecake ice cream. Or super duper easy cheesecake-esque ice cream that doesn’t require an ice cream maker.
You’ll need cream cheese (light or regular, but not fat free; you’ll get ice crystals and weird flavors), sweetened condensed milk, whipping cream, lemon zest, strawberries, and a graham cracker crust. I really, really like the texture of frozen graham cracker crust, which is why I used it instead of regular ol’ graham crackers.
Combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and whipping cream in a large bowl…
and mix with an electric mixer until combined. Freeze for 4 hours or until semi-solid.
Remove the cream cheese mixture from the freezer and beat until creamy. Place the berries in a blender
and blend until desired consistency is reached (I like some almost-whole berries in mine, but you might want it completely smooth). Add to the cream cheese mixture.
Add in chopped graham cracker crust and mix well. Freeze for 8 hours or until firm.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Allow to soften slightly before scooping.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 8-ounce package cream cheese (regular or light), softened
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 cups fresh strawberries
1/3-1/2 cup prepared graham cracker crust broken into pieces
Instructions:
Mix the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and whipping cream with an electric mixer until combined. Freeze for 4 hours or until semi-solid.
Remove the cream cheese mixture from the freezer and beat until creamy. Pulse the berries in a blender until desired consistency is reached (I like some almost-whole berries in mine, but you might want it completely smooth). Add to the cream cheese mixture. Add in chopped graham cracker crust and mix well. Freeze for 8 hours or until firm.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Allow to soften slightly before scooping. Serves 6-8 (8 would be very small, although dietarily sound servings)
