The best purchase I made last summer was a set of retro-inspired ice pop molds
I made about a thousand different ice pop varieties last year – peach pie pops, strawberry basil popsicles, tart lemonade pops – and I’m already jotting down ideas for this year!
My first pops of the season were inspired by what was in our fridge & freezer – when the craving strikes, you do what you can! Sweet wild blueberries, tart lemons and a fresh basil syrup make for an adult, gourmet pop that’s guaranteed to stain your lips purple.
Blueberry Basil Lemonade Pops
- 2-3 juicy lemons
- 1 cup of wild blueberries (I used frozen)
- a handful of fresh basil
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
Add your blueberries to the blender. If they’re frozen, add a bit of hot water and let them sit while you juice your lemons + make the basil simple syrup. Juice the lemons & add the juice to the blender. Pulp is OK! Make your simple syrup, let cool then add to the blender and mix all ingredients together until smooth. Pour into your pop molds, add sticks and put them into the freezer until solid – about 2-4 hours.
For the simple syrup, combine the water, sugar and basil leaves in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let the sugar dissolve and then remove from heat and let cool.
When it comes time to un-mold them, you can either remove them all at once or let them hang out in the freezer in the mold until you’re ready. Just run hot water over the bottoms and wiggle them out. When I’m making multiple batches, I’ll unmold all at once, wrap loosely in wax paper and put them all into a freezer bag labeled with the flavour. This frees up room in your freezer so you can make more!
I’ve been suffering from a bit of a plague this week and these have been a godsend. Plus, I feel way better about indulging in them since they’re chock-full of real ingredients.
What’s your dream homemade popsicle flavour?
