Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

I love Red Mango and Pinkberry as much as the next 20-something woman, but sometimes it's just easier and tastier to make your own fro-yo at home.  This is by far the easiest thing I've whipped up in our ice cream maker, but John and I were both amazed by how great it tasted.  Who knew three ingredients could go so far?  This also makes you seriously reconsider whether your fro-yo habit is worth the $5 a pop.

Here are your three ingredients - the best plain whole milk yogurt you can find (this organic yogurt was $2.99, quite the splurge), sugar, and vanilla extract.

Mix three cups of yogurt with 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until the sugar dissolves completely.  Put in the fridge for an hour and then churn according to the instructions of your ice cream maker.  If you like especially tart yogurt, add little or no sugar and make your treat even healthier (from the mound of sugar pictured above, you can tell I like my yogurt sweet).

Once frozen in your freezer, the yogurt will need to soften on the counter for about 10 minutes before scooping.

My favorite Red Mango toppings are raspberries and dark chocolate chips, so naturally I went the same route at home.  This frozen yogurt has a lot more flavor than the yogurt you buy from the trendy shops and makes for the perfect summer dessert on a hot day.  Especially the days when it's too hot to drag yourself to Pinkberry.  

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
From David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

3 cups (720 g) plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together 3 cups plain whole-milk yogurt, 1 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until the sugar dissolves.  Refrigerate for an hour.  Churn the yogurt in your ice cream maker according to the machine's directions.  Store in the freezer and be sure to remove 10 minutes prior to scooping.  Top with your favorite healthy or not-so-healthy toppings.