Hi. I’m writing to you from a sweet little inn in Norwich, Vermont where it’s pouring rain outside. I’m in town for the next few days for the second annual blog & bake event at King Arthur Flour along with a dozen or so bloggers. The schedule is tightly packed with bread and pastry classes. After sitting in on a recipe writing class taught by Susan G. Purdy yesterday, I can assure you, my time spent here will be all manner of flour goodness.
Before I ventured north, I made strawberry yogurt popsicles. While they’re not the first thing you’ll want to eat on a cold wet day, they are nonetheless irresistible and I would certainly bundle up in a large wool sweater on the wrap around porch facing Main Street with one of these pops. That is if I had a sweater or a pop to spare.
I also had visions of trying out a boozy version of these, maybe vodka or white rum, minus the yogurt. I’ll save that thought for another day. What are your favorite popsicle flavors, boozy or otherwise?
The idea for these pops came from a leftover batch of ginger-lemon syrup I made to spoon over custard. They’re full of summer: fresh strawberries, tangy yogurt, spicy ginger, and sweet maple syrup. I like to make these popsicles in layers, alternating strawberry puree and yogurt layers between freezings but you could also blend the strawberries and yogurt together for a faster treat. You’ll have enough ginger-lemon syrup leftover to make a second batch of popsicles or to make sweet iced tea or a dressed up fruit salad. When covered and refrigerated, the syrup will last up to three weeks.
Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles
makes 4 to 6 (6-ounce) popsicles in half-pint regular mouth jam jar or paper cupPopsicle Ingredients
1/2 cup ginger lemon syrup
1 pound ripe strawberries, washed, dried, hulls removed
1 cup plain whole-milk dairy or soy yogurt
1 tablespoon natural cane sugarStep 1. Make the Ginger-Lemon Syrup
Ginger-Lemon Syrup
makes 1 cup syrup1 ½ ounces fresh ginger root, peeled and cut into thin slices
¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup natural cane sugar
1 cup water
zest of 1 small lemonStir the ginger, maple syrup, sugar, water, and lemon zest into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes to highlight the flavors. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Use a fine-mesh colander to strain the ginger slices. Pour the syrup into a glass jar and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate the syrup overnight to allow the flavors to steep.
Step 2. Make the Strawberry Puree
Combine 1/2 cup of the chilled ginger lemon syrup and the prepared strawberries in the jar of a blender and process until smooth.
Step 3. Layer the strawberry and yogurt mixtures in 3 parts and freeze popsicles
Stir the sugar into the yogurt and chill until ready to use.
For the first layer, pour about 1/4 cup of strawberry puree into molds and freeze for 1 hour. Add 1/4 cup prepared yogurt into molds, freeze for 1 hour. Pour the remaining strawberry puree into molds; insert popsicle sticks. Freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
To remove from jar molds, run a bit of warm water over the outside of the jar just until you can pull the popsicle from the glass. For paper molds, use scissors to cut edge of cup then peel the paper off and eat straight away.
Super cute pops – hope you’re having a lovely time in Vermont! also hope we’ll get to read about it here when you return. : )
Thanks, Shanna! Vermont is so beautiful this time of year. Wish I had an extra day to photograph but will have to make plans to go back.
Lovely popsicles! Divine looking and sounding.
Have a great time in Vermont!
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa, Thanks. I’m ready to go back to Vermont with a freezer pack of pops for the road. Clearly they wouldn’t last long.
The blog and bake event sounds like great fun. Strawberry popsicles are my favorite and these look very tasty.
Jess, It was a great three days spent in the KAF kitchen and I can’t wait to go back!
So beautiful! We love homemade strawberry popsicles! They are a requirement of summer!
Robyn, I agree! My childhood was filled with homemade fruit & yogurt and pudding pops.
mmm i love the combination of strawberry and yogurt! so bright and summery! maybe if we make and eat enough things like this, the good weather will come?
Yes, Anna, it worked. The sun is finally out today!
How cute are these? Perfect for the summer – tempted to make a big batch for my freezer now!
thelittleloaf, That’s a really good idea! I might do the same.
Ths popsicles look adorable. This is a must try for me.
Thanks, Joy!
Wow. You had me at Ginger-Lemon Syrup. I will definitely be trying these. Do you think they would work with raspberries as well? We are very nearly done with strawberries this far south…
Amy, The syrup, oh the syrup is so good. Yes, I think raspberries would be terrific and I would adjust the sweetness in the berry puree to taste.
These look divine – what a great combo of flavours. I think it’s worth waiting to freeze each of the layers because it looks so pretty when you get them out!
Thanks, Becs. I agree. I like the layered look and taste and these pops are really terrific for party treats as well.
I don’t like yogurt but my daughter does and she is forcing me to make these! I may like them if they don’t have that funky yogurt taste…haha.
Kerry, Thanks for stopping by. If you blend the strawberry puree with the yogurt instead of layering it, the yogurt tang will be well disguised. Let me know how it goes.
Ahhhh this are so perfect! Especially for a burning hot country like mine!
doublexuan, Thanks and I can only imagine what it must be like in Singapore. Would love to get there someday.
Hi, I’m stopping by as a result of the Buitoni FF tweet to meet a fellow New England blogger. These pops look refreshing. They’ll be perfect on a warm summer day…hopefully soon.
Hi Just One Donna, Oh, I’m glad you stopped by and happy to meet another New England writer. I look forward to reading more of your blog and I’m sure it will get hot again soon.
These look amazing! I’m pretty obsessed with trying new types of boozy pops lately. I did a Limeade and Corona one that I can’t get enough of… and these with some rum? Yes please!!
Carrie, I am too. I saw your Limeade and Corona pops on FB the other day and wanted to try them immediately!
I just whipped up a batch and brought them to a BBQ. I wish I’d made more – the adults were stealing bites from the kids. A big hit! Thank you!
I am excited to figure out what to do with the rest of this simple syrup…
Hi, Lauren. Thanks for your comment and I’m so glad the strawberries pops were a hit!