Happy August, friends! I don’t know how things are sizzling over in your neck of the woods, but in my hood, it’s starting to get HOT right about now. I’m talkin’ walk around in your undies (the silver lining of stay at home!), double water the plants with bare feet, and even avoid using the oven hot.
To bring some sweet, refreshing coolness (and to celebrate seasonal summer fruits!) I’m sharing a recipe for homemade watermelon mint popsicles! These healthy treats are the perfect afternoon snack on a hot day. They’re super easy to make and, in short, they’ve been making my being nine months pregnant during a heat wave much more bearable. :)
One thing that’s helpful to know for this recipe (and perhaps life) is that the contents of very cold foods (like popsicles) taste more sweet at room temperature than they actually do once frozen. I.E., when you’re mixing the concoction to go inside your popsicle molds, know that the final product will taste less sweet than it does when you’re testing it out as a liquid. There’s got to be some exact scientific explanation for this… and honestly I don’t know what the hell it is. But I’ve read about this natural phenomenon in cookbooks and I’ve experienced it in my own cooking escapades, so I do declare tis true! Long story short, consider adding a little natural sweetener to your recipe. I’m usually the fuck-yo-sugar-I’m-au-natural type, but I’ve included a couple tablespoons of honey in today’s recipe as well. It’s all good.
Aside from the whole really cold foods = consider adding more sweetener equation, popsicles are pretty damn flawless to make. The essential equipment is popsicle molds, some sort of liquid to go inside, and the willingness to feel like a kid again on a hot summer day. Check, check, check.
I’m providing a solid recipe here, but one could rock the popsicle game with a wide variety of ingredients like fruit or veggies juices, teas, coconut milk, nut milks or dairy cream, chocolate, fresh herbs, and additions like whole fruit pieces. Earlier this spring I made some orange coconut creamsicles (when citrus was still in season… the oranges came from my grandpa’s tree!). They were pretty awesome but I have to admit I didn’t abide by the “cold = less sweet” bit yet, so they could have used a little somethin extra. Live and learn.
And now, on to the watermelon mint pops recipe!
Ingredients:
-1/2 small watermelon (we’re looking for about six cups, depending on size of your popsicle molds, so that could be half of a small melon or a quarter of a big one).
-12 mint leaves (you can also experiment with other flavors like basil or rosemary!)
-Optional and recommended: 2 tbsp natural sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup
-Juice of ½ lemon (~1 tbsp juice)
Directions:
-Cut up watermelon and remove seeds (I diced it up into ice cube sized pieces and was able to easily remove seeds with fingers).
-Add watermelon and all other ingredients to blender. Blend until mixed throughout (only takes a few seconds with a high powered blender).
-Pour mixture into popsicle molds and place inside freezer. Let freeze for at least a couple hours (follow guide for your molds).
-When you want to enjoy your popsicles, pull one out and run the mold under warm water for 30 seconds so the popsicle will easily slide out. Enjoy!!
Got some left over liquid watermelon mix?
Blend in some ice to create a delicious slushy and serve in champagne flutes for a fun mocktail! Or go ahead and add some gin for a full seasonal cocktail!
What about the other half of the watermelon?
Dice it up now and store in glassware in the fridge for easy snacking over the next couple days. Try freezing some for smoothies later. Or blend it all up and store in mason jars in the fridge for a special summer juice.
Enjoy this refreshing treat!
