Sweet, tangy, creamy, and bursting with juicy blackberries – summer in a scoop of cream cheese ice cream.
Inspired by my cousin Fany Gerson's Helado de Queso con Zarzamoras. I kept the cream cheese, omitted the requesón or queso fresco, and added more blackberries for a little extra of that jammy swirl.
Think Philadelphia-style ice cream, ie, no eggs, with cream cheese and blackberries.
I'm an ice cream LOVER. Of all the sweets, ice cream just may be my fav. Not sure why I would have to pick a single fav dessert and def don't want to, but if I had to… ice cream would be it. Don't have a fav brand and do love all the bougie ones – think high-quality, artisanal ingredients… and yes I absolutely acknowledge that an ice cream maker is a niche kitchen tool… I posted this on IG and y'all wanted the recipe so here it is.
Re: Ice cream maker – duly noted it's a specialized, single-purpose appliance – don't expect ya to have one, but ya asked for the recipe and I'm here to provide.
Brands hire me to cook, style and shoot their food… and somewhere along the way I invested in one. Just kidding.. it was 2. I got the attachment for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. Not gonna give a full review – will say that if you already have a stand mixer, love the convenience of simply buying an ice cream maker bowl instead of an entire apparatus… which is cause my biggest issue with kitchen stuff is the storage issue of it all… which is a wholly unrelated issue to the actual product itself.
Until I can get a bigger home for me and all my kitchen supplies, the space issue is real. Am a big fan of being able to buy all sorts of "attachments" for my stand mixer (looking at you pasta cutter).. that said, the blue coolant in my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment did eventually start oozing out… thought I cared for it properly, perhaps it was my fault, not sure and just sharing it started to leak, regardless of who/what is to blame…
Re: space issue – I did build a storage tool shed for my kitchen supplies which I highly recommend.
And yes there's def a no churn ice cream way, but this gal hasn't done that yet…
But back to this recipe. Helado de queso is a traditional Mexican ice cream made with fresh cheese, think cheesecake in ice cream form. Leaned into it and went cream cheese all the way.
Some Ice Cream Wisdom
Ice cream styles are mostly defined by two things: the ratio of cream to milk and whether the base contains eggs.
Philly style + cream cheese = double Philly. That blackberry cheesecake in ice cream form.
Make your own blackberry jam for the purée or use store-bought – both work. Either way make your blackberry cheesecake ice cream.
I love how the blackberries swirl into the creamy base, creating ribbons of deep purple in every scoop.
Blackberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ingredients
Berry Purée
- 2 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Ice Cream Base
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Instructions
- Berry Purée: Combine blackberries, confectioners' sugar, and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, mash gently with the back of a spoon, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Ice Cream Base: Blend the cream cheese, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and corn syrup until smooth. Add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Churn: Whisk the base to recombine, then freeze and churn in an ice cream maker per manufacturer's instructions. When it's finished churning, swirl in the chilled blackberry purée. Serve soft right away, or transfer to a container and freeze 2 to 3 hours for a firmer scoop.
If you're stoked on frozen summer treats, check out my Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles and my Watermelon Popsicles with chile and lime.
If ya make this recipe, I'd love to hear – leave a comment below and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too!
There's a whole lot more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides waiting for ya on the site.
Let's make waves in the kitchen.
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