Homemade ice blocks are pretty easy to make - all you need are some ice block molds, a freezer to keep them in, and a little inspiration for the filling. Creating your own means you get to pick exactly what goes in them, and you can tailor them to your dietary preferences (e.g. dairy-free, vegan-friendly, low-sugar, sugar-free...), as well as your taste buds, which totally beats any processed variety at the supermarket.
Right now in New Zealand, blueberry season is in full swing. I love berries and yoghurt as a snack, which ended up serving as the inspiration for these creamy icy pops. They only contains 3 simple ingredients - fresh berries, yoghurt and a little honey - to make a delicious healthy treat, which will satisfy both kids and adults alike. The process of making them is quite fun too - there's three layers to the pops, a plain yoghurt, blueberry puree, and then a combination of the two. To assemble them you just add spoonfuls of each into the molds, in alternating layers, to get a neat marbling effect.
Fell free to substitute the blueberries for any other kind of berry you like or have avalaible. Initially I wanted to use strawberries for these (for a strawberry and cream pop, yummm), but alas the season had just turned. Blueberries are fab though, and so healthy - they offer a myriad of health benefits, and have one of the highest antioxidant capacities of all fruits and veggies. Their other berry cousins - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries (or really any berry that will stain the palm of your hand when you hold them for long) are also great sources, but blueberries sneak out as the overall antioxidant champ.
I originally created this recipe for my friends over at Ecostore, who have kindly let me share it here too.
Berry Yoghurt Pops
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (375g) plain full-fat yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt for a dairy-free option)
2 tbsp runny honey
1 cup blueberries or other berry
Equipment: 6 ice block molds, 6 wooden ice block sticks, 3 bowls, 1 food processor/blender, 1 tablespoon
Method:
Evenly divide the yoghurt between two bowls. Add 1 tbsp of honey into each bowl and mix well.
Blend blueberries until smooth.
Add half of the pureed blueberries to one of the yoghurts and mix through. Pour the rest of the blueberry puree into a separate bowl.
- Now for the fun part - spoon alternating layers of the three mixtures into ice block molds until almost to the top. Insert a wooden ice block stick into each and then place in the freezer until solid.
Makes 6 ice pops
Dietary substitutes:
- For a vegan-friendly version, use coconut yoghurt and maple syrup.
- For a lactose-freindly version use lactose free yoghurt or coconut yoghurt.
- For a dairy-free version use coconut yoghurt.
- For a low-sugar option take out the honey (berries are a low sugar fruit!), and use stevia if you wish to sweeten it further.
