Preparation Steps

• Trim and roughly chop the strawberries. Put about 1/4 cup of the chopped berries into a small bowl and lightly mash with a fork; stir in 1 teaspoon of the maple syrup and set aside to macerate while you make the base.
• Combine the cottage cheese, the remaining maple syrup, vanilla extract, and lemon zest in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and silky, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed — there should be no visible curds.
• Taste the blended base and adjust sweetness or lemon zest if desired. If the mixture seems very loose, chill it in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes to firm slightly; this helps produce a denser scoopable texture after freezing.
• Fold the remaining chopped strawberries and the graham cracker crumbs into the chilled cottage cheese mixture with a rubber spatula, leaving a few larger berry pieces intact for texture. Reserve the macerated berries for a swirl or topping.
• Transfer the mixture to a small loaf pan or shallow freezer-safe container. Smooth the top, then spoon the macerated berries over one side of the container and run a skewer through the mixture to create a gentle berry swirl. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent ice crystals.
• Freeze until firm enough to scoop, about 3 hours. For a slightly softer texture, check after 2 hours and move to the refrigerator once scoopable.
• Remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 8–10 minutes before scooping to make clean, creamy portions. Serve with extra graham crumbs or sliced strawberries if desired.