When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about visiting my grandparents’ house was the ice cream truck they had in their neighborhood. The Good Humor truck just didn’t make it out to my neck of the woods.
To this day—in my thirties—people have seen me fly out the door at the sound of that magical, tinkling music. Just ask The Angry Chef about how I squeak over my shoulder, “Quickly! We need a handful of change!” (Check AllScream.com to find ice cream trucks in your area.)
One of my favorite frozen treats of all time is the Creamsicle. Mmmm, talk about summer. (Can you tell that I’ve officially had it with all the snow that’s still kicking around Boston?)
This frozen yogurt has all those same Creamsicle-y flavors that I love. It’s creamy, sweet, and just a little bit tart. It’s lighter than regular ice cream, and almost borders on a sherbert for consistency.
It gets a double shot of orange flavor from orange juice and Triple Sec. It’s rich and creamy and has a wonderful tang from whole milk, plain yogurt. A little gelatin adds body and contributes to the smooth texture—and helps it set up.
Best of all? It’s really easy to make.
Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt: The basic technique
This is really simple. Make the orange syrup. Let it cool. Mix in the yogurt, then process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze it overnight to let it firm up completely.
Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt: A note on equipment
You’ll need an ice cream maker to make this properly. I have a fairly basic Cuisinart ice cream maker that I just love.
If you’re in the market for one, the white version of my machine is actually on sale (as of this posting) at Amazon for $39.95�that’s more than 50% off its $90 list price. I’ve had mine for a few years and can’t say enough about it. It’s easy to use and gets the job done.
How to make Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt without an ice cream maker
Can you still make this if you don’t have an ice cream maker? Sure thing. The consistency just won’t be as smooth, so it would be more of a frozen yogurt granita kind of thing.
Instead of adding the orange/yogurt mixture to an ice cream maker, put it in a shallow dish in the freezer. Stir it every half hour or so, breaking up the ice crystals that form, until it’s completely frozen. It will be coarser in texture, but will still be super yummy.
OK. On to the frozen yogurt!
Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbls. honey
1 1/2 cups plain, unflavored yogurt
1 Tbls. triple sec or other orange liqueur
Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt: Make the orange syrup
Put the gelatin in a medium saucepan.
Add the orange juice to the pot.
When you pour it in, the gelatin may clump up a little. That’s just fine. Give it a brisk whisking. Let the orange juice and gelatin sit like this for about 5 minutes.
After about 5 minutes, add the sugar to the pot.
Then add the honey. (It’s just a little bit and it’s in there for flavor, not necessarily to add more sweetness.) Whisk to combine.
Set the pot on the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil, whisking occasionally. Basically, you’re doing this to be sure the sugar is completely melted.
Let the mixture boil for a minute or two. Then turn the heat off and remove the pot from the stove. Cool the mixture to room temperature, then stick it in the fridge to chill it completely.
At this point, if you give the syrup a taste, it will be *very* sweet. That’s just fine. The flavors balance out when you add the yogurt later on.
Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt: Add the yogurt, process & freeze
When your orange syrup is totally cold, take it out of the fridge. Add the yogurt to it.
Whisk to combine.
Whisk in the Triple Sec.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
For my Cuisinart model, this means freezing it in the machine for about 25-30 minutes.
When you’re done, your frozen yogurt will still be fairly slushy in consistency.
Transfer your frozen yogurt to a freezer-safe container.
Smooth the surface down so it’s relatively flat.
Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface.
Then wrap the container tightly again.
Pop the container into the freezer. Freeze overnight to firm the frozen yogurt up completely.
Orange Creamsicle Frozen Yogurt: Serve & enjoy!
After your frozen yogurt has been in the freezer for a while, it should be nice and solid.
But not so solid that it’s impossible to scoop.
Scoop into big bowls and enjoy!
