Popsicles!
I can remember my mom breaking the ice pops when I was a kid: cherry, orange, grape, banana, and root beer. I always wanted the break to go lopsided, with the big half in my favor! These days, popsicles are so much more exciting with nostalgic shapes and amazing flavors. I enjoy all the variations of ice pops here in the states as well as paletas, which are juice pops from Latin America. When making homemade popsicles, I use partially diluted frozen juice concentrates as the base, and the sky is the limit as far as flavors or fruit add-ins — jams, cookie crumbs, fresh fruit, fresh herbs. Don’t even get me started on boozy pop options — wine, tequila, Kahlua! Here, we’ve got one great base and have used it three ways to show you just how versatile it can be.
One frozen lemonade and three recipe variations…
Minted Raspberry Rose Ice Pop
Makes 4-6 pops, depending on your mold size.
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
6 oz. water
1/2 cup rose wine
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
A few sprigs of fresh mint
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor and gently pour into molds. Place in a few whole mint leaves for a prettier pop, if desired. Freeze for four hours or overnight.
Creamy Toasted Coconut Lemonade
Popsicle
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup toasted coconut
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor and pour into molds. Freeze for four hours or overnight.
Make it boozy and add 1/4 cup rum and ¼ cup water.
Pineapple Cilantro Paleta
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
6 oz. water
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor and pour into molds; freeze overnight. This pop needs a bit more freezing time than the others here.
Make it boozy and add 1/4 cup tequila.
Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt Pops
1/2 cup stewed blueberries
2 cups honey-flavored Greek yogurt
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
Makes four yogurt popsicles.
For stewed blueberries, cook one cup of blueberries and one quarter cup of sugar over medium heat until blueberries burst.
Gently swirl yogurt and stewed blueberries in a bowl, making sure to not completely mix. Fill four popsicle molds, leaving 1/8 inch at the top for crushed graham crackers. Freeze for at least four hours up to overnight.
