Cherry Yoghurt Popsicles
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If you had been blog-hopping, you would have discovered many posts on popsicles during this summer season. Everyone has his/her most favourite method of making popsicles to share. I can’t tell you how much I love looking at those unique creations. None of them are 100% identical. I’m truly amazed by how a simple recipe can be tweaked in so many interesting ways. So I told myself that I must join the fun too. Without much ado, I bought 2 sets of Ikea popsicle moulds and got ready for action. But deciding on which one to follow based on the recipes I had bookmarked earlier can be a real headache. They all look so GOOD!! In the end, I decided to pick a bit from here and there to come out with my own version which combined fresh fruit, yogurt and honey.
What’s so special with my so-called “healthy” version? First, I used creamy and tangy Greek-style yogurt. Of course, you can always substitute it with any plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt. Second, I used fresh fruit. (This is another fun way to include fruit into your toddler’s diet). The cherries I used to make these popsicles were bought from a fruit wholesaler near my hubby’s workplace. They were so sweet and juicy! But this shouldn’t limit your choice of other seasonal fruits. You can choose to use concentrated fruit juice too. Lastly, you will find lemon juice in my recipe. It is because blending yogurt with lemon juice results in an airy mixture that is more delicious when frozen. This marvellous tip is adapted from Martha Stewart’s site.
So, what is the result? The popsicles tasted so fruity, creamy and delicious. The perfect summer treat for kids! Needless to say, my son enjoyed it very much. Let the photos speak for themselves.
This recipe is very versatile as you can make the pops in layers, swirl the ingredients to give it an artistic look, or even combine everything together. Get adventurous and be creative in your experiment. No matter how terrible you are as a cook, you should be able to handle these homemade popsicles with ease. Not much effort is involved. Althought it only takes a few minutes to make, it can bring your kids an abundance of joy. Better still if you and your kids make them together. Have fun and enjoy!!!
Other gorgeous popsicle recipes:
- Tropical ice lollies by Annabel Karmel
- Berry and yogurt popsicles by Bread & Honey
- Cherry yogurt popsicles by Naturally Ella
- Gummy pops by Cooking With My Kid
- Patriotic fruit pops by The Magic Onions
- Strawberry watermelon yogurt ice pops by And Then I Do The Dishes (without popsicle moulds)
- Strawberry yogurt popsicles by Zoom Yummy
- Pomegranate yogurt pops by The Kitchn
- Popsicles for breakfast by How Does She
- Tie Dye Pops by Martha Stewart
Recipe
Adapted and modified from
Cherry yogurt popsicles by Naturally Ella
and Tie Dye Pops by Martha Stewart
Yield: Roughly six 3-ounce popsicles
(you may come out with 7-8 sticks with Ikea popsicle moulds)
Ingredients
Steps
- Place cherries in a blender and puree. Pass through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. (You should have ¾ cup puree). Stir in honey and lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Set aside.
- Scoop the yogurt into a cup. Stir in the milk a little at a time until the yogurt is thinned enough that it can be poured. Stir in the honey and lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Set aside. (refer to note 3).
- Pour an inch of yogurt into the popsicle moulds, then an inch of cherry puree, and repeat until the moulds are filled. Use a chopstick or skewer to gently swirl the liquids together. If your moulds don’t come with their own sticks, insert wooden popsicle sticks after 1 hour of freezing. Freeze at least 8 hours or overnight, until the popsicles solidify.
- Run the moulds under tap/ warm water and gently wiggle the sticks to free the popsicles from the moulds.
- Place cherries in a blender and puree. Pass through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. (You should have ¾ cup puree). Stir in honey and lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Set aside.
- Scoop the yogurt into a cup. Stir in the milk a little at a time until the yogurt is thinned enough that it can be poured. Stir in the honey and lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Set aside. (refer to note 3).
- Pour an inch or so of yogurt into the bottom of each popsicle mould. Freeze this until the yogurt is just set, about 45 minutes. Pour an inch of cherry puree on top and freeze until just set, another 45 minutes or so. Repeat in layers until the pops are filled. If your moulds don’t come with their own sticks, insert wooden popsicle sticks along with the third layer. Freeze another 2-3 hours or overnight, until the popsicles solidify.
- Place cherries in a blender and puree. Pass through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. (You should have ¾ cup puree).
- Add cherry puree and the rest of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Add extra honey if needed.
- Pour into the moulds and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight, until the popsicles solidify. If your moulds don’t come with their own sticks, insert wooden popsicle sticks after 1 hour of freezing.
- Run the moulds under tap/ warm water and gently wiggle the sticks to free the popsicles from the moulds.
Notes
- If you do not have popsicle moulds, substitute with empty yogurt pots. Or else, try out this method.
- You can replace Greek-style yogurt with plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt.
- Alternatively, you can blend everything until smooth. But be careful not over-blend as the yogurt mixture will be very watery.
- Concentrated fruit juice can be used to substitute fresh fruit juice. But you need to adjust the sweetness accordingly.