Sopapilla Cheesecake (Ice Cream)

The church I attended for nearly ten years is having its tenth anniversary next weekend. For pretty much all of those years, I brought a sopapilla cheesecake to every gathering. After a while I started bringing two because the first one was gone so quickly. Once when we were out of town for a potluck we got multiple texts from church members: not asking if we were coming, but asking if there would be sopapilla cheesecake. Another time I didn’t bring it and our pastor called me out IN THE OPENING PRAYER for not baking a sopapilla cheesecake (“Lord, bless the hands that made this incredible food. Please also bless the hands who didn’t bring the dessert we love so much and let it be here next time.”) I listened to the wisdom of my pastor and made it for all the next times. Because – let’s face it – the congregation loved it SO MUCH, for good reason.

Since we won’t be able to make it back for the big anniversary shindig I wanted to do something in honor of Artisan from afar. I thought I’d create an ice cream recipe based on sopapilla cheesecake. I found a couple of recipes from other people online that seemed close; but I’ve modified the original sopapilla cheesecake recipe significantly enough that I wanted the ice cream to taste like Artisan sopapilla cheesecake – not just run-of-the-mill stuff. I think I succeeded with this. AND it doesn’t need an ice cream maker!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you…

Artisan Sopapilla Cheesecake Ice Cream

This dessert requires no special equipment and results in a rich, creamy frozen treat full of honey and cinnamon goodness.

Ingredients

For the crescent roll sopapillas:

½ can of refrigerated crescent rolls
powdered sugar
oil for frying

For the cinnamon honey whipped cream:

2 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
¼ c. honey
1 tbsp. cinnamon

For the ice cream:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
cinnamon honey whipped cream
crescent roll sopapillas

1. Chill whisk and large metal mixing bowl into freezer for 15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, heat 3″ of oil in small saucepan until it bubbles around the handle of a wooden spoon placed into the oil.
3. Unroll ½ can of crescent rolls. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Fold them over so the powdered sugar is inside the crescent rolls; then cut into small bite-sized pieces.
4. Fry in oil until golden-brown and crispy. (And then fry up the other half of a can and EAT THEM WITH POWDERED SUGAR BECAUSE DELICIOUS.)
5. Place onto paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool; set aside.
6. Remove whisk and mixing bowl from freezer; pour in cream and whip until it begins to thicken.
7. Add ¼ c. honey and 1 tbsp. cinnamon, then whip cream into stiff peaks. Set aside.
8. Beat cream cheese in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
9. Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix until smooth.
10. Fold in cinnamon honey whipped cream.
11. Fold in crescent roll sopapilla pieces.
12. Place in bread loaf pan in freezer for at least 4 hours, if not overnight.

Ice cream will keep in freezer for up to 1 month (if no one eats it all LONG before then).

Bethany’s Sopapilla Cheesecake

(In case you’d like this recipe too)

Sopapilla cheesecake is a quick and easy dessert that’s been making the rounds on the internet for awhile now, and this is my recipe perfected over nearly a decade of church potlucks. It halves easily for smaller gatherings, though you should probably just make a whole one because it will get eaten no matter how much you bring.

Ingredients

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
16 oz. cream cheese
½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. honey
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 stick butter, melted
½ c. granulated sugar
cinnamon to taste (I use LOTS, because why not)
honey to drizzle on top

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Roll out 1 can of crescent rolls and press into bottom of a 9×13 pan, pressing seams together as best you can.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, ½ c. sugar, honey, and vanilla until creamy and smooth.
4. Using a spatula, spread cream cheese mixture over crescent rolls and even out with spatula.
5. Unroll second can of crescent rolls and place them on top of the cream cheese mixture, pressing seams together.
6. Mix melted butter, ½ c. sugar, and (ALL THE) cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. Pour cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the crescent rolls and spread evenly with a spoon.
8. Drizzle honey over cinnamon sugar mixture.
9. Let rest for 30 minutes until cinnamon sugar has started to crystallize a bit.
10. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.