I'll eat ice cream all year round, but for some reason, popsicles are a decidedly summery treat to me. Especially if they're of the red, white, and blue variety.
As a kid, I loved bomb pops. The red, white, and blue layers meant three separate flavors. As an adult, I'm less inclined to cheer for three types of artificially flavored, dyed sugar water.
But my adult self can get behind these pops. Sure there's still some sugar, but not a ton. When the fruit is in season, it's plenty sweet on its own. Who wants to sugar it up and mask that perfect peak flavor? The fresh fruit layers balance perfectly with a layer of lightly sweetened coconut milk mixed with a bit of vanilla, making these an ideal treat for any summer celebration that includes friends or family with dairy allergies or intolerance. If you need to keep diabetics in mind, use stevia and omit the juice for a no sugar added treat.
Two quick bits of advice, though. First, be sure to make these a day or two ahead of your get together so each layer has time to set. Second, you'll need the kind of popsicle mold that uses wooden popsicle sticks so you can take the lid off to make the layers.
Okay, three pieces of advice. You might want to make extras. They're guaranteed to be a hit.
Fresh seasonal berries and rich, creamy coconut milk combine to make the ultimate dairy-free red, white, and blue popsicle you'll want to take to every summer gathering.
Red, White, and Blue Double Berry Coconut Popsicles
adapted from An Edible Mosaic
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. lightly-packed chopped strawberries
2 TBSP water or pineapple juice, divided
up to 4 tsp. granulated sugar (or 3 packets stevia)
1 c. canned light coconut milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. blueberries
Directions:
1. Purée the strawberries, 1 TBSP water or juice, and up to 1 tsp. sugar in a blender of food processor. Strain and pour about 2 TBSP of the mixture into each of 9 or 10 popsicle molds. Freeze until solid.
2. Combine the coconut milk, vanilla, and 2 tsp. sugar in a small bowl. Mix until sugar is fully dissolved. Pour 2 TBSP of the mixture into each popsicle mold. Freeze until this layer is slushy, about 10 minutes, then insert the popsicle sticks and freeze until solid.
3. Purée the blueberries, the remaining TBSP of water or juice, and up to 1 tsp. sugar. Strain, if desired, and pour about 2 TBSP into each popsicle mold. Freeze until solid.
4. To unmold the popsicles, quickly dip the bottoms into warm water to make them easy to slide out.
Yield: 9-10 popsicles
But my adult self can get behind these pops. Sure there's still some sugar, but not a ton. When the fruit is in season, it's plenty sweet on its own. Who wants to sugar it up and mask that perfect peak flavor? The fresh fruit layers balance perfectly with a layer of lightly sweetened coconut milk mixed with a bit of vanilla, making these an ideal treat for any summer celebration that includes friends or family with dairy allergies or intolerance. If you need to keep diabetics in mind, use stevia and omit the juice for a no sugar added treat.
Two quick bits of advice, though. First, be sure to make these a day or two ahead of your get together so each layer has time to set. Second, you'll need the kind of popsicle mold that uses wooden popsicle sticks so you can take the lid off to make the layers.
Okay, three pieces of advice. You might want to make extras. They're guaranteed to be a hit.
Fresh seasonal berries and rich, creamy coconut milk combine to make the ultimate dairy-free red, white, and blue popsicle you'll want to take to every summer gathering.
Red, White, and Blue Double Berry Coconut Popsicles
adapted from An Edible Mosaic
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. lightly-packed chopped strawberries
2 TBSP water or pineapple juice, divided
up to 4 tsp. granulated sugar (or 3 packets stevia)
1 c. canned light coconut milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. blueberries
Directions:
1. Purée the strawberries, 1 TBSP water or juice, and up to 1 tsp. sugar in a blender of food processor. Strain and pour about 2 TBSP of the mixture into each of 9 or 10 popsicle molds. Freeze until solid.
2. Combine the coconut milk, vanilla, and 2 tsp. sugar in a small bowl. Mix until sugar is fully dissolved. Pour 2 TBSP of the mixture into each popsicle mold. Freeze until this layer is slushy, about 10 minutes, then insert the popsicle sticks and freeze until solid.
3. Purée the blueberries, the remaining TBSP of water or juice, and up to 1 tsp. sugar. Strain, if desired, and pour about 2 TBSP into each popsicle mold. Freeze until solid.
4. To unmold the popsicles, quickly dip the bottoms into warm water to make them easy to slide out.
Yield: 9-10 popsicles