Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt with Maple Pecan Shortbread Swirl

Ingredients

For Yogurt:
• 3 cups full fat plain yogurt
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
For Shortbread:
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup flour
• Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare yogurt mixture:
2. Combine yogurt, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
3. Refrigerate mixture for at least two hours or overnight.
Prepare shortbread:
4. Add pecans to a small skillet and place over medium-low heat.
5. Cook pecans, watching closely and stirring often, until toasted.
6. Remove pecans from pan and coarsely chop. Set aside to cool.
7. Cream butter and brown sugar using a stand mixer.
8. Mix maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt into butter mixture.
9. Slowly mix flour into butter mixture.
10. Add pecans to dough and mix until just combined.
11. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
12. Place heaping teaspoons of dough on the baking sheet, then flatten slightly with your fingers.
13. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom and edge of cookies just start to turn golden brown.
14. Remove cookies from oven and cool on a cookie rack.
15. Use your hands to crumble enough cookies into medium chunks to make 1 1/2 cups of chunks. Save the rest of the cookies for serving or another use.
Prepare frozen yogurt:
16. Follow your ice cream maker's directions for churning the the yogurt mixture.

17. About 5 minutes before the frozen yogurt is done churning, add cookie chunks to machine. If your ice cream maker is already full or you can't access the churning yogurt, stir the cookie chunks into the frozen yogurt after you remove it from the machine.
18. Transfer frozen yogurt to an airtight container and freeze until solid.
19. To serve, scoop frozen yogurt into individual bowls and top with a cookie, if desired. Enjoy!