Yogurt Inception

Did you actually come here to read this?  That's awesome, but I'm going to warn you;
It's yogurt, on yogurt, on yogurt up in here.

I have a slight problem when it comes to ice cream.  Admitting that you have a problem is the first step, right?

I love making homemade treats that I can have around to indulge in without feeling too guilty.  I've been dying to try making my own frozen yogurt concoctions and I was hit with a wave of motivation after my diy yogurt actually turned out amazingly.

After a bit of internet research I felt confident enough to borrow my mom's ice cream maker.  I wanted to put together the most basic recipe I could without sacrificing deliciousness for healthfulness and here is where I ended up -

I used only 3 ingredients: raw local honey, my own homemade plain yogurt, and one vanilla bean.  And apparently that's all you need because it turned out amazing.

I dumped the whole quart of yogurt into a bowl along with 2-3 heaping tablespoons of honey.  You can add more or less depending on how sweet you want it, but a couple big tablespoons was plenty for me!  I do like it to keep some of the yogurt's tartness.

Then I took my vanilla bean and carefully sliced it right down the middle with a paring knife to open it up.  Use the knife to scrape the tiny seeds out into the bowl.

I'm sure you could probably just use a couple teaspoons of vanilla extract too, but I had some beans on hand and I figured "why not?!"  They do add some character to the finished product.

And who doesn't like their dessert with some character?  That's like, the number one thing you're thinking about when you dive into a quart of froyo, right?

Yeah...  Didn't think so.  So throw a couple splashes of vanilla extract in there.

Now give the yogurt a nice mix just until everything is swirled together.

Now you'll want to follow your own ice cream maker's manufacturers instructions.  For my Cuisinart here I just pop in the freezer bowl and mixing paddle.  Turn the switch to the 'on' position and once it's started, pour my yogurt mixture right in the top.

All that's left to do is just try to forget about that incredibly simple and tasty treat you have coming and pat yourself on the back...

Sure.  Or you can hover over the machine for 30 minutes like I did.  Watching your honey and yogurt concoction go from this - 

To this - 

Glorious.

If you check back on your yogurt after 30 minutes and it doesn't seem as firm as you'd like, just let it go another 5 minutes or so.

I packed all that goodness into a freezer-safe container for later days.  These are actually Chinese food containers that we ordered on Amazon a while back.  They have a good thickness to them and tight sealing lids, great for holding hot or cold foods.  These are my favorite storage containers and they stack together so nicely!  Not to mention they're pretty cost efficient too.  Here are some similar.

That bowl lasted about 12 seconds.  This stuff is seriously tasty.  It came out just like I wanted and I love knowing that with just 3 simple ingredients that I always have on hand, I can have this whenever I want.  Ah...life is good, people!

This frozen yogurt is just begging to be customized with toppings, don't you think??  Maybe some more honey and granola?  Cinnamon?  Fruit, chocolate, pecans...you get my drift.

Enjoy and thanks for reading!