We can never have too many types of gelato, and this one is exceptional! Blueberries top our list of favorite summer fruit and we love incorporating blueberries into our recipes this time of year. You will want to have a gallon of this Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato in your freezer all summer long! With crumbled bits of Biscoff Cookies and cream cheese, you will feel like you are biting into a big slice of cheesecake! It is the perfect summer treat!
What is Gelato?
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream, but there are several differences in the way gelato is made which gives it a more silky and creamy texture compared to ice cream recipes. The differences come down to the ratio of milk to cream mostly, with ice cream having more fat from a higher ratio of cream. Additionally, the way gelato is churned results in less air incorporated into the cream mixture. Overall, gelato has a more luxurious texture than ice cream. You can read more HERE.
How to Get the Blueberry Flavor in this Gelato
Blueberries are key to this recipe obviously, and after trying many variations (from fresh blueberries, to frozen, to blueberry jam and more) we landed on good quality blueberry preserves to give this gelato the perfect flavor. The fresh blueberry flavor is still present in the preserves, but we found that the sweetness is much more consistent, whereas fresh blueberries are variable and can sometimes be a bit tart. For this recipe for blueberry gelato, a jar of blueberry preserves is our choice.
Tempering the Eggs
If you have been around here for a while, then you know that we have many gelato recipes, and some use raw egg yolks rather than a custard base. If you trust the source of your eggs, or you are buying eggs from brands at the grocery store that have specific standards for pasteurizing eggs for sale, then you don’t have to worry about using raw eggs in gelato recipes.
But recently we started using a new method that sometimes we prefer over using raw egg yolks which involves tempering the eggs. Tempering the egg yolks in the warmed cream results in a mouthfeel in the finished gelato that is lighter and more pillowy.
Incorporating the Cream Cheese
We wanted the cream cheese to provide a bit of texture in the finished gelato rather than melting it into the entire mixture. By not melting the cheese with the cream and milk at the beginning, you end up with small “pieces” of cream cheese suspended in the gelato. We absolutely loved the texture these bits had in the final product compared to a more smooth texture.
Even though it may look odd and a little bit deconstructed while you make the gelato, we preferred this technique over mixing the cream cheese completely into the gelato base.
Biscoff Cookies
We absolutely love adding biscoff cookies into our recipes, and have used it as a crust for cheesecake as well. We feel that the flavor is far superior to a basic graham cracker crust, so we wanted to use it here as well.
The crumbled Biscoff cookies act as the “crust” in this cheesecake gelato recipe and provide a beautiful texture in the gelato. They are also perfect to serve alongside a scoop of gelato as pictured.
Do I need a gelato machine to make this recipe?
In short, a machine is not required, BUT we highly recommend getting one if you love homemade ice cream and gelato as much as we do! Also, the texture will be creamier when made in a machine rather than by hand.
You can easily make gelato without a machine. Check out THIS post for details on the hand churn method.
If you are in the market for a machine, here, here, and here are some options for ice cream makers or attachments that we recommend.
Enjoy!
We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato! If you give it a try and like it, leave us a comment and 5-star rating below! Or click the heart to like this recipe and share it with your friends! And, of course, make sure to tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
Looking for more gelato recipes? Check these out:
- Homemade Lemon Cream Gelato
- Candied Walnut Gelato
- Brown Butter Bourbon Caramel Gelato
- Fig Ricotta and Rum Caramel Gelato
📖 Recipe
Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Ice cream or gelato maker
- 1 medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5.5 oz blueberry preserves
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 oz cream cheese – cut or torn into small pieces and chilled
- 8 Biscoff cookies – broken into small pieces
Instructions
- Combine the cream, milk, salt, ⅓ cup of the sugar, vanilla, and blueberry preserves in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk the mixture and then stir occasionally until it is just simmering with tiny bubbles. Simultaneously, in another medium bowl, combine the egg yolks with the remaining ⅔ cup of sugar and whisk until it is pale yellow in color and becomes somewhat fluffy.
- Once the cream mixture has come to a simmer, pour a little into the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Continue to add the hot cream mixture – about ¼ cup at a time – into the egg mixture while whisking to temper the eggs. Once half of the mixture has been added (don’t stop whisking) you can add the hot cream mixture a little more quickly. Once everything has been combined, cool the mixture in a refrigerator (90 minutes or so) or freezer (40 minutes).
- Once the mixture has cooled (it won’t be completely cold and that is fine), add the chilled cream cheese and use an electric mixer for about 45 seconds to semi-incorporate into broken small white pieces.
- Place the contents into your ice cream or gelato machine and mix per your machine manufacturer's directions until thickened and creamy. Our gelato machine takes about 40 minutes to make this recipe.
- Remove the gelato from the machine and carefully stir in the Biscoff cookies. Freeze in a freezer-safe airtight container for a couple of hours or overnight for best results.
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