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It’s been 90 degrees here this week. Oh, summer. Go away I hate you.
When it gets this hot there is one thing I want: ice cream. And because next week is Cinco de May0 and because I’m too lazy to unearth my ice cream machine, I make this Sopapilla Cheesecake Ice Cream easy without a machine!
So, have you heard that new song #Selfie? I’m kind of addicted to it. I’m also kind of addicted to techno rock these days. Animals, Turn Down For What, that sort of thing. Those three songs get me to 90 on the stair master. That’s 90 steps per minute.
{After about a minute I want to die, but I can do a comfortable 80 for about three minutes, when I have a good beat to get me there.}
Anyway, I’m addicted to #Selfie. I think the girl talking in it is hilarious and, scarily, true to today. Jordan can impersonate her perfectly. I’m just waiting for her to ask me what a “bootycall” is. #momoftheyearawardgoestome
{This situation kind of reminds me of when she started listening to LMFAO.}
Last weekend we blasted the song and took our own selfie. I was trying to make a club face. #thatdoesntworkwhenyoure36
Then we blasted Animals and she told me the radio was too loud.
Again. #momoftheyearrighthere
So…ice cream. And Cinco de Mayo. Marry the two and you have Sopapilla Cheesecake Ice Cream!
Sopapilla is traditionally a fried dough served with honey or sugar. At my favorite Mexican restaurant they serve them as dessert with cinnamon sugar and ice cream. It’s also often paired with cheesecake (and pie, like I did last year).
I decided to go one further and make ice cream. Easy ice cream. No machine needed!
If you’ve been a reader here for any length of time, you’ll know that I own an ice cream machine, but I rarely use it. I instead prefer to make easy no churn ice cream: a mix of sweetened condensed milk and either fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip.
I used Cool Whip for this version, because I can make the ice cream almost fat-free by using fat-free Cool Whip. I also used reduced-fat cream cheese and fat-free sweetened condensed milk. I can feel a little less guilt when I have a bowl, especially if I’m having it on Cinco de Mayo after a plate of beans and nachos and a margarita sangria.
You can use regular or lite or sugar-free Cool Whip, or you can use fresh whipped cream. (See the note in the recipe.) You can also use full-fat cream cheese (I’ve never subbed fat-free, so use caution) and regular sweetened condensed milk. That’s what I love about this easy ice cream method – it’s so versatile!
For this version, I added cream cheese like my friend Ashton does. It makes the ice cream amazing!
The sopapilla part is actually pie crust that’s been sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked until crisp and crumbly. I mixed it into the ice cream before freezing. I also added some extra cinnamon into the ice cream mixture. The pie crust and cinnamon add some crunch and texture and amazing flavor to the ice cream.
So, I guess we could also call this ice cream Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Ice Cream. But Sopapilla sounds better!
You must make this. If you like cinnamon, you’re going to love it!
No Churn Churro Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust (from a refrigerated pack of 2 or from scratch)
- 1 tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Mix granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Unroll pie crust and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Press lightly with your hands to seal it to the crust. Spray the crust lightly with cooking spray.
- Bake crust for 8-12 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely before making ice cream.
- Beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Place cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in another large bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth. You can do this by hand, but I find that using a hand mixer makes it easier to get out the lumps. Mix in vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Fold in Cool Whip (see note).
- Crumble cooled pie crust into small pieces and stir into ice cream mixture. I reserved about 1/4 of the crust for topping, but you can add it all if you wish.
- Place ice cream in a large resealable container and freeze for at least 4 hours but overnight is better. Will keep in the freezer for up to one month.
Recipe Notes
- You can use reduced fat cream cheese and/or sweetened condensed milk
- You can substitute 2 containers (8-ounces each) cool whip for the heavy cream.
Recipe Nutrition
Sopapilla Cheesecake Hand Pies
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Sweets from friends:
Cheesecake Sopapillas by Lemon Tree Dwelling
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filled Snickerdoodles by Something Swanky
Faux Fried Ice Cream by Taste and Tell
Last Updated on May 15, 2020
This is absolutely delicious & super easy. I’ve already made it 4 times in 2 weeks!!! Thank you for sharing this. It’s my new favorite addiction!
Will it work with an ice cream maker?
90 degrees and you want it to go away already?! Giiiirl, don’t talk so crazy! 😉 This ice cream sounds like the perfect way to deal with the hot weather! Love the flavor!
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This cheesecake ice cream looks the best! I love the flavours- Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Amazing combo! Have to try it next weekend.
I visited my aunt and uncle in New Mexico when I was in high school and we went to the most amazing Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe and the best part of the meal was the sopapilla for dessert! What a great idea to turn it into ice cream! Looks delicious!
Ughh… my husband and I love sopapillas with honey on them. The fact that you turned it into an ice cream and a cheesecake ice cream on top makes you nothing more than sheer genius! Love this and I’m totally right with ya on the 80 degree weather… I sat out yesterday and sun tanned.. ha! 🙂
Sopapilla is my brothers’ all time favorite flavor. I cannot get over the fact that you put it in ICE CREAM. Like, can we talk about how amazing that sounds?? Creamy, cold, and lots of cinnamon and sugar sounds incredible. Pinning!
I hadn’t heard of ‘sopapilla’ before either but it looks delicious!! Anything cinnamon sugary with pastry and ice cream is heaven in my opinion. Amazing photos Dorothy… haha, and I’m 30 and I’ve never attempted a selfie! You and your friend rock!
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