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Strawberry Cream Cheese Ice Cream

This Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream has a ridiculously creamy cheesecake ice cream base, swirled with strawberry jam, and topped with a graham cracker crumble. It's like frozen cheesecake!
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

For the strawberry jam

  • 1 lb  strawberries
  • 1/2  cup  granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • tablespoon water

For the graham cracker crumble

  • 7-8 graham crackers
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For the cream cheese ice cream

  • 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup milk powder
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 egg yolks

Instructions

Make the strawberry jam

  • Hull the strawberries making sure to leave them whole.
    In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, vanilla extract, and water.  Cook over
    medium/high heat bringing the mixture to a boil for about 5-7 minutes or so. At
    this point there should be a decent amount of liquid coming from the
    strawberries. Continue cooking over medium/high heat stirring every few minutes
    or so to ensure the mixture does not stick to the pot.
    Cook until the liquid has reduced and thickened, and the strawberries are very soft, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 or 15 minutes or so.
    The jam will thicken as it cools. Transfer to a jar or container with a tightly
    sealed lid. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

For the graham cracker crumble

  • Heat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place the graham crackers in Ziploc back. Using a rolling pin or your hands, crush the crackers until they’re coarsely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl and stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and use a spoon to evenly combine the butter into
    the crushed wafers. The mixture should appear slightly moistened. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, spreading slightly with an offset spatula. Toast in the oven until brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. (The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature).

For the cream cheese ice cream base

  • Prepare an ice bath by adding ice and water to a large bowl. Place a Ziploc next to the
    ice bath until ready to use.
    Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and set aside.
    In a blender combine the cream cheese and milk and blend until smooth.
    In a medium steel bottomed pot, add the cream cheese mixture, milk powder, heavy cream,
    vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously until
    the milk powder is fully incorporated into milk and heavy cream. Turn the heat
    to medium/low and bring the mixture to a full simmer.
    Remove from heat, and whisking the entire time pour some of the milk mixture into the
    egg yolks to temper. Continue to pour the milk mixture and whisk until the egg
    yolks are combined. Pour the entire base back into the pot. Cook over low heat until
    the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon thickly. This
    can take anywhere from 2-6 minutes. Be sure not to let it scorch.
    Strain the ice cream base into a Ziploc bag. Seal the Ziploc bag, immerse it in the
    ice bath and leave until completely cool. Place the Ziploc bag in the fridge
    and steep the mixture overnight or for a few hours. Churn base in the ice cream
    maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a
    container, fold in the strawberry jam and graham cracker crumble. Seal the
    container and place in the freezer to harden.