Homemade Strawberry Popsicles

So many of my blogs are created by the ingredients I happen to have on hand. I’m a sucker for a good deal, so if I see something yummy at the grocery store that’s on sale, it’s going in my cart. I don’t always know what I’m going to do with said item, but the fun part is figuring it out.

This scenario presented itself when two-pound packages of strawberries were on super markdown, so I bought two of them. Strawberries are so versatile in sweet and savory dishes, so I wasn’t worried about being able to utilize them. If I was dragging my feet, I knew there was also the option to freeze them, and then turn them into smoothies. 

I had recently made a strawberry-rhubarb cobbler, so that was out. I could have made strawberry jam or compote, but it was 90 degrees out and didn’t want to fire up my stove. It then dawned on me that several years ago I purchased an awesome set of popsicle molds from The Chopping Block retail store, and I knew exactly what I was going to make. Homemade popsicles! 

I pondered for a bit on how to flavor my popsicles to compliment the strawberry base, and ultimately decided on a tropical vibe including coconut milk and lime. 

To start, I removed the leafy green tops and placed most of the strawberries in a blender. I did hold back about 1/2 pound and cut them into medium dice to give the popsicles some texture. 

To the blender I then added one can of full fat coconut milk (better mouthfeel and more luscious with the full fat), the zest and juice of 1 lime which did a great job balancing the richness of the coconut milk and a touch of simple syrup. 

To make simple syrup, you take equal parts of sugar and water, place them in a saucepan together, and bring it up to a boil. Remove it from the heat, and allow to cool in the refrigerator. I love having simple syrup around because it’s not only great for sweetening popsicles, but it’s a very important ingredient when we’re wanting homemade margaritas! 

Speaking of booze, feel free to make an adult version of this recipe, and add a splash of tequila or rum to your popsicle base. Mine were kid friendly, so no booze this time. 

To get an even distribution of strawberries in each popsicle, my son and I evenly placed the diced strawberry pieces in each mold before we poured in the puree.

To ensure the puree filled all of the space between the cut strawberry pieces, we used a skewer to evenly distribute everything. 

The popsicles went into the freezer, and about four hours later they were ready to enjoy! 

The most important thing to remember when making popsicles is to have fun; experiment with different fruits, sweeteners, dairy additives, herbs and booze. You can’t go wrong! 

Strawberry, Lime and Coconut Popsicles

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yield: 10-12 popsicles

Active time: 25 minutes

Start to finish: 24 hours

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, tops removed

One 13.5 can full fat coconut milk

1 lime, zested and juiced

1/4 cup simple syrup (see note, below)

1. Measure out 1 pound of strawberries and place them in a blender. Cut the remaining 1/2 pound of strawberries into medium dice, and set aside.

2. Measure the coconut milk, lime zest, lime juice and simple syrup in the blender with the 1 pound of strawberries, and blend until smooth.

3. Divide the diced strawberries between the popsicle molds, and pour in the puree, making sure the puree settles between the dice of strawberries. Tip: Use a skewer to help accomplish this step. Also make sure you don’t fill the mold up to the very top, for the mixture will expand.

4. Place in the freezer, and freeze until solid, about 24 hours. Enjoy on a hot summer day!

It’s going to heat up soon, so stock your freezer with delicious homemade frozen treats this summer. We’ll teach you how to prepare these popsicles and a fabulous frozen chocolate semifreddo in our Virtual Frozen Desserts class on Sunday, August 1 at 10am CST. Sign up here!

Strawberries are this week's challenge for our private Facebook group members. Join the group and make these popsicles to meet the weekly challenge!