If you want to see a grown woman look like a woodland creature, just place a bowl of sweet cherries in front of me and watch me go to work. You’d think by eating a pound of cherries a day that I’d have it down by now. But truthfully, I’m very afraid of choking on the pit. So I carefully munch around it, carelessly dripping red juice all down my fingertips until I’m left with a pile of fleshy pits and stems. At this point, most of my clothes are stained and despite my efforts to place an empty dish in every room, I still manage to find rogue piles about the house.
The best/worst part about this summertime habit, is that I’m at a complete loss for what else to eat? I’ve been completely brainwashed, my creativity stumped and all I want to do is come up with recipes that involve cherries for the rest of my life.
Which brings me to this recipe idea here. Sometimes I’ll be on a walk, or in the shower, or cleaning out my fridge and a recipe idea will come to mind. And then I’ll noodle around on it for awhile, maybe do some research, think some more about flavor pairings and get to work.
For this recipe, I knew I wanted to experiment with a pan of roasted sweet cherries. But then I remembered it was August in the South and reached for my fancy new popsicle molds. And let me tell you, that was a great idea.
The outcome is a creamy, sweet, subtly tart popsicle that combines a puree of balsamic roasted cherries with a swirl of honey-sweetened coconut milk. Not only are they incredibly refreshing and delicious, they’re actually *healthy* with just a bit of honey and no refined sugars. It’s the perfect recipe to cool down with on a warm afternoon and I find they replace my mid-day habit of reaching for a cup of coffee or tea.
As always, enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
xxMackenzie
Roasted Cherry Coconut Popsicles
INGREDIENTS
- 3.5 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted
- 4 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- Popsicle Molds and sticks
INSTRUCTIONS
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Once the cherries are washed and pitted, spread them evenly on a baking sheet and toss with the balsamic vinegar, black pepper and 1 Tbsp. of the honey. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the juices are released (but not burnt).
Once the cherries are roasted, place them in a blender and blend until smooth. Add an additional Tbsp. honey to taste if desired.
Next, pour the can of coconut milk into the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium sized bowl if using a hand-held mixer. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of honey and whip together until smooth.
For a swirled effect, pour a small layer of the coconut into the bottom of each popsicle mold and then pour a small layer of the cherry puree. Keep alternating until the mold is full, leaving about a centimeter at the top for expansion. Use a stick to swirl the mixture inside the popsicle mold and place in the freezer overnight or for about 4 hours, until frozen.
Once frozen, remove the molds from the freezer. To help ease the popsicles out of the mold, carefully run under lukewarm water for 10 seconds or less. To store the popsicles, place in a parchment lined tupperware container and keep frozen.