Berry Yogurt Popsicles (4th of July Firecracker Pops!)

The 4th of July is this Saturday, which means that if you’re in the USA, you’re seeing lots of red, white, and blue this week — In flying American flags, in party decorations, in patriotic outfits .. and on your favorite food blogs. =) I couldn’t resist the excuse to post a red, white, and blue treat, and I specifically wanted to challenge myself to make something that was naturally colorful, rather than using artificial food coloring. Thank goodness that beautiful red and blue berries are perfectly in season here! These popsicles have three layers — a pureed blueberry layer, a sweetened Greek yogurt layer, and a pureed cherry layer (strawberries or raspberries would also be fantastic, but I couldn’t pass up some gorgeous fresh cherries on sale).

And y’all, these popsicles turned out just as I hoped they would – absolutely delicious, refreshing, and patriotically pretty. Two things worth noting: 1) The popsicles do have added sugar to each of the layers, which makes them delightfully sweet. However, you can absolutely omit (or reduce) the added sugar, which will make for a more-tart, but still scrumptious frozen treat. Adjust the sugar accordingly based on your needs and taste. 2) The original (Martha Stewart) recipe called for the three layers to be swirled together, but I chose to keep them as three distinct layers, mostly for visual reasons. The next time I make these, I will definitely swirl the layers together. Why? Because that sweetened yogurt layer is SO insanely, addictively amazing. I wished I had a little of that creamy, sweet yogurt in every bite, rather than just in the middle layer. Lesson learned — next time, I’ll just do as Martha says. =)

Happy Independence Day, Americans — I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating this weekend!

Berry Yogurt Popsicles

makes 10 popsicles, adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/2 pound cherries, pitted (1 1/2 cups) (strawberries or raspberries would also be great!)
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 pound blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt

Directions

In a food processor, puree cherries with 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Divide evenly among ten 3-ounce ice-pop molds. Freeze until solid, 2 – 3 hours.

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 tablespoon water, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mixture should be pourable – add another tablespoon of water if needed. Divide evenly among ten 3-ounce ice-pop molds, on top of the already-frozen cherry layer. Insert popsicle sticks, + freeze until solid, 2 – 3 hours.

In a food processor, puree blueberries with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Divide evenly among ten 3-ounce ice-pop molds, on top of the already-frozen yogurt layer. Freeze until solid, 2 – 3 hours (or up to 1 week).

Amy’s note: You can certainly omit the extra sugar in this recipe for a no-sugar-added, more-tart, still-delicious popsicle. As listed above in the recipe, this makes for a fairly sweet popsicle. Adjust the sugar accordingly based on your needs / taste.

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