Test Kitchen

I've always had a special affinity for baking. I enjoy following a recipe step by step, then watching in anticipation as the ingredients come together as if by magic to form some sort of confectionery creation. Maybe it's the mad scientist in me, but to this day I still get excited when I find a new recipe that I can experiment with in my lab, aka the kitchen. So when I came across this recommendation on the ever-lovely and inspirational The Glitter Guide for Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches with Lemon Coconut Shortbread Cookies, I knew I just had to give it a go.

The best part about baking -- besides eating the finished product, of course -- is putting my own spin on a recipe. In this case, since raspberries are a little pricey right now, I opted to try this version of Strawberry Frozen Yogurt. And while the recipe calls for whole milk yogurt, I used my favorite brand of plain nonfat Greek yogurt instead. The desired thickness and creamy texture were still there, but for far fewer calories and less fat.

Since I don't have an ice cream machine, I made the frozen yogurt the old-fashioned way: by freezing the strawberry mixture then furiously breaking it up with a fork every half hour, which is actually a great arm workout as the mixture becomes more and more solid. I also made sure to leave a fair amount of strawberry chunks in the yogurt for an added homemade touch.

The results were everything I could have hoped for, and I can't wait to serve these healthier versions of an ice cream sandwich later this weekend at a small get-together I'll be hosting.