No-Churn Peach Cottage Cheese Ice Cream with Honey Almond Crunch

Serves 6 · 15 min prep · 5 min cook

Ingredients

• 4 medium ripe peaches
• 2 cups full-fat cottage cheese
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp pinch of fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp extra honey for drizzle
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1Wash the peaches, then pit and roughly chop them, leaving the skins on for color and fiber. Place half the chopped peaches in a blender and reserve the rest in a bowl for later folding.
2. 2Add the cottage cheese, honey, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and sea salt to the blender with the peaches. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy with no visible curds, stopping once to scrape down the sides.
3. 3Taste the base and adjust with a touch more honey if the peaches are tart; it should taste slightly sweeter than you want the finished ice cream because freezing dulls sweetness.
4. 4Pour the blended base into a freezer-safe loaf pan or shallow metal pan. Fold in the reserved chopped peaches so you get juicy fruit pockets throughout.
5. 5Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent ice crystals, then freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm but scoopable.
6. 6While the ice cream freezes, toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate.
7. 7Drizzle the hot almonds with the extra honey and sprinkle with cinnamon, tossing quickly so they clump into a crunchy praline-like topping. Let cool completely.
8. 8When ready to serve, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5 to 8 minutes to soften slightly. Scoop into bowls and top generously with the honey-almond crunch.
9. 9For the best texture, store leftovers covered in the freezer and re-soften briefly before each scooping; the cottage cheese keeps it from turning rock-hard.