Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark

Name: Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Cuisine: Paleo
Ingredients: 4 Tablespoons chocolate chips, melted; 2 Tablespoons chopped tamari almonds or roasted almonds; 2 cups whole milk cottage cheese, I use Good Culture; 2-3 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey; 2 Tablespoons almond butter; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark is a creamy high protein treat you can feel good about eating. This recipe is a little tangy, a little sweet, made with chocolate and almonds. It’s incredibly healthy and easy to make. There are only 6 ingredients. Your whole family will love it!

Cottage cheese is the latest food craze. It’s a high protein curdled milk product with a mild flavor and creamy texture. Some brands include live and active cultures known as probiotics. These probiotics improve your overall gut health, keeps your heart healthy and helps boost your immune system.

I often enjoy a bowl of cottage cheese with blueberries or peaches for breakfast. It’s super satisfying and keeps me full until mid afternoon.

Since it’s such a healthy food, I thought why not make a dessert out of cottage cheese?

This frozen cottage cheese bark with chocolate and almonds is my new favorite summer treat. It’s delightfully refreshing and oh-so-healthy. You have to try it!

What Is Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark?

It’s a simple frozen dessert of creamy cottage cheese, blended with a little sweetener, poured into a pan and then frozen. It can be made with different flavors, like almond, peanut butter, strawberry or raspberry. Yon can then customize it with assorted toppings, such as chocolate, nuts, granola or fruit . The taste is sweet and a little tangy. The texture is creamy and smooth. Nuts give it a nice crunch.

In this recipe I use a combination of almonds and chocolate. It’s so good!

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark on parchment cut

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Super Healthy – It’s full of protein, calcium and probiotics.
Cold and Creamy – A cool and creamy snack to keep in your freezer all summer.
Easy to Make – There are only 6 ingredients. Just blend, swirl, top and freeze.
Adaptable – It’s a versatile recipe you can make with the flavors you like best.
Easy to Store – You can keep them in an air tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months but you’ll probably eat them sooner.

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark on plate close up

Ingredients

All the ingredients can be found in your local health food store or supermarket.

Cottage Cheese – It’s best to use an organic, pasture raised cottage cheese. The animals are sustainably raised and taken care of with kindness. Full fat cottage cheese is the creamiest but low fat will also work. I like Good Culture brand, it has probiotics and isn’t too tart.
Maple Syrup – I like the mild sweet taste of maple syrup but honey will also work. For low carb use liquid monk fruit sweetener.
Almond Butter – It gives the cottage cheese a nice nutty flavor and a little texture. Use unsalted. Any nut or seed butter can be substituted but it will have a different flavor.
Vanilla and Almond extracts -These enhance the flavor of the cottage cheese.
Chocolate Chips – The melted chocolate chips swirled into the bark makes it divine. I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. They taste great and are free from any allergens. For low carb use Lilly’s Chocolate Chips, they are sweetened with stevia. Any brand will work.
Tamari Almonds – I love the salty taste and crunch these almonds give the bark when sprinkled on top. Roasted almonds would also be good. You can substitute your favorite nuts or seeds.

How To Make

Step 1: Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, stir until smooth. Let sit on top of the water in the double boiler to keep warm. Coarsely chop the almonds.

Step 2: Blend cottage cheese with almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extract in a food processor or high speed blender, until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Don’t over blend.

Step 3: Pour cottage cheese mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and form into a rectangle.

Step 4: Drop teaspoon size dollops of the melted chocolate onto the cottage cheese layer about 1 1/2 inches apart. You should get about 12. Use a fork to swirl the chocolate around.

Step 5: Sprinkle the chopped almonds on top.

Step 6: Freeze for 2-3 hours until firm. Remove from the freezer and cut into squares.

Step 7: Serve immediately, it will begin to melt right away. Store remainder in an air tight container in the freezer.

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark cottage cheese poured onto parchment

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark with dollops of chocolate

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark chocolate swirled in

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark with swirled chocolate and almonds

Variations

You can customize your frozen cottage cheese bark to create different flavors. Here are a few ideas:

Substitute the chocolate. Instead of chocolate swirl in your favorite jam.
Make a fruit flavored cottage cheese bark: Blend 3/4 cup of strawberries with the cottage cheese and sweetener to make it strawberry flavored. I would skip the nut butter but still swirl in the chocolate. Strawberries and chocolate yum!
Make the bark nut free. Leave out the nut butter. The bark can be made with just the cottage cheese and sweetener. Use a different topping.
Change up the toppings. Here are a few good ideas: Toasted coconut, granola, chocolate chips, sliced fruit.

Frozen Cottage Cheese Bark on parchment cut into pieces

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my blended cottage cheese mixture is too thin to stay on the parchment?

That happened to me the first time I made it, I must have over blended it. If you notice your cottage cheese is very thin, it will spread too much on the parchment and won’t stay in a rectangle shape on the baking sheet. If that happens use a 7″ by 11″ baking pan lined with parchment paper. It will hold the shape better.

What is the best type of cottage cheese to use?

It’s best to use an organic, pasture raised cottage cheese. The animals are sustainably raised and taken care of with kindness. Full fat cottage cheese is the creamiest but low fat will also work. I like Good Culture brand, it has probiotics and isn’t too tart.

Can I add more sweetener?

Yes absolutely. These cottage cheese bars are not very sweet. Taste before pouring onto the parchment paper. If you like your treats sweet, add more maple syrup.

How long will the frozen cottage cheese bark stay outside of the refrigerator.

Not very long. It’s like ice cream it will start melting after about 3-4 minutes.

If you have not tried frozen cottage cheese bark, it is a must-try! It is easy to make and you only need 6 simple ingredients.

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If you like this recipe, try these other summer desserts:

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes (Vegan, Paleo)

Vegan Strawberry ‘Ice Cream’

Vegan ‘Ice Cream’ 3 Flavors

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