Red, White and Blueberry
I come bearing gifts. Gifts in the shape of Popsicles. Popsicles that are so delicious your eyes might roll back in your head. Popsicles that are so healthy you could ostensibly eat them for breakfast. Popsicles so pretty you'll just HAVE to Instagram, Tweet and Snapchat them (#noshame). I mean hey, that's what I did.
Every summer I say I'm going to get a Popsicle mold but until now, I have reneged on that promise. Then Williams Sonoma had a sale and I said OKAY YES PLEASE FINE TWIST MY ARM. So I am now the proud owner of a Popsicle mold.
I had already been gifted with a surplus of farmer's market strawberry and was playing around with strawberries 'n cream (aka greek yogurt) flavors but then I realized -- Fourth of July. Red white and blue. Layers of fruity and creamy goodness. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
And I did.
Start to finish, this recipe is laughably simple. It just involves a little patience in waiting for things to cool/freeze. Also making sure your Popsicle sticks aren't at wonky angles.
All in all, there's only a quarter cup of added sugar in these treats so if it's disgustingly hot and you can't fathom even a bowl of cereal, dig in. It's just fruit and yogurt...and a little bit of magic. Don't believe me? Make them yourself.
This is a great way to use up overripe fruit so that nothing goes to waste. If you have extra syrup left over, it's great on angel food cake or plain yogurt.
If you don't have a Popsicle mold, you can use paper cups. Just be sure to arrange them carefully on a rimmed baking sheet in the freezer so that they don't spill, which would be bad news bears.
ingredients:
For the straw-ras syrup:
Scant 1 c. overripe raspberries
1.5 c. strawberries, hulled
1/3 c. water
1/8 c. turbinado sugar
For the blueberry-black plum syrup:
Scant 1 c. blueberries
2 black plums, chopped
1/3 c. water
For the vanilla greek yogurt:
1 c. fat-free Greek yogurt
Scant 1/8 c. agave
1/2 tsp. Mexican vanilla extract
directions:
1. To make the straw-ras syrup, combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the fruit is mostly broken down. Remove to a small bowl and chill. Follow the same steps for the blueberry-black plum syrup.
2. To make the yogurt layer, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. If you like your yogurt sweeter, add more agave.
3. To assemble: start with a soup-spoon full of straw-ras syrup, then the yogurt, then the blueberry-black plum syrup. Only you know how large the molds are so use your own discretion. Make sure you don't go too heavy on one layer so there isn't room for the others. Freeze until solid, at least four hours.
To unmold: run the Popsicle mold briefly under hot water. If they're really stuck, run a paring knife around the edges of the mold.
