It’s easier than you’d think to make awesome homemade popsicles–granted I ran through about a hundred recipes before finding what worked for me. But it’s worth it. Not only is it a great summer pastime, but you also get to eat something when you’re done! As featured in our June issue, here’s my recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 16 oz fresh strawberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 8 oz strawberry cream cheese
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup simple syrup
Directions
- Sugar berries and let sit.
- Throw sugared berries and lemon juice in a food processor and puree until there are no lumps, or as desired. Refrigerate puree until cool, about 30 minutes.
- In food processor, puree cream cheese, milk, vanilla extract and simple syrup until smooth.
- In popsicle molds, layer berry puree and cream cheese mixture, freezing for 30 minutes between layers. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze for at least four more hours. Enjoy!
Tips
- The secret to a smooth popsicle without ice chunks is plenty of sugar. Natural sugars like honey and agave nectar work too.
- Use over-ripe, seasonal fruit. The sweeter the fruit, the more natural your popsicles will taste.
- If you’re using a seedy fruit, like strawberries, but don’t want the seeds, puree them before freezing and strain with a fine mesh strainer.
- If it’s a cream-based popsicle, add some Greek yogurt for extra creaminess.
- To make a layered popsicle, fill the molds about a quarter full and let them freeze for two hours. Add another layer and freeze again. Continue until the mold is full.
- Don’t have popsicle molds? Popsicles can be made in baking dishes—even bread pans work. Evenly space sticks in the mixture before freezing and then slice the frozen loaf into even pieces for a messy, DIY feel. Cupcake tins work great for mini pops.
- Almost any popsicle can be tweaked to include alcohol.
Originally published in Plano Profile‘s June 2017 issue
