Fruit and Coconut Popsicles

There's nothing more wonderful on a hot day than a frozen treat. This has been a particularly hot summer (that is regrettably still not over yet!) so I've been eating a lot of ice cream and popsicles. After going through my second box of fruity popsicles from Trader Joe's, it occurred to me that I could probably make my own pretty easily. One of the reasons I'd been eating popsicles in particular is that there tend to be more non-dairy options. I love me some ice cream, but my lactose intolerance does not. I dug through my Evernote stash of recipes and found two that both used coconut milk and frozen fruit. Then I picked up a couple of popsicle molds from the dollar store and went to work!

Fruit and Coconut Popsicle ready for consumption!

The combination of the coconut milk and fruit is delightful because you not only get a sweet, fruity pop, but the coconut milk adds a lovely creaminess and texture. My first batch of pops I made following the instructions from this recipe exactly: Frozen Coconut Creamsicles. I did as they suggested and blended the coconut milk and fruit together so they didn't look as pretty, but they tasted great. The next time I made them, I also referenced this recipe: Berry Coconut Milk Ice Pops. The addition of the spices was a good idea, I thought. So, after a bit of taste testing, here is my perfected recipe for Fruit and Coconut Popsicles!

Fruit and Coconut Popsicles
Makes 8 popsicles
1 can coconut milk
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (I've stuck to berries with good results)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons honey
dash of cardamom (to taste)
dash of cinnamon (to taste)

Popsicle mix ready to go into the freezer.

1. If you're using frozen fruit, measure it and let it sit until it defrosts and comes closer to room temperature. This makes it easier to blend into everything else.

2. Put the coconut milk, vanilla, honey, and spices in a blender. Blend until combined and a little frothy.

3. Add fruit to the blender. Blend well. You don't want any big berry chunks.

4. Pour into popsicle molds. If you don't have molds, dixie cups with popsicle sticks will always work.

5. Let freeze for at least four hours.

6. Enjoy!

They're super easy to make and oh so delicious. I learned the hard way the first time not to try and blend the honey with the fruit, because the cold just makes it gloop up and not blend. I do like the blender only method though because it's quicker and less of a mess than heating up the berries and sugar on the stove top.

Hope you like these popsicles as much as I do!