Summer is here at last! Well, at least for the weekend anyway. Is there any better way to enjoy the weekend than by spending it in our tiny little kitchen, slaving away over a stand-mixer, and making the world’s most hideous tasting chocolate cake?
Yes, most definitely.
On the plus side, I did manage to create these gorgeous peach raspberry ice lollies, which are basically summer in a frozen form. Each little lolly has a handful of fresh raspberries, chunks of juicy peach, and a generous helping of Greek yogurt. Oh, and a little bit of runny honey for sweetness. And that’s it.
You’re going to need a blender or food processor for this recipe, so it was a great excuse to test out our brand new KitchenAid mini chopper 🙂 Such a great wedding present, and I am so happy to be able to finally have something KitchenAid in my life! Hold on stand-mixer, I’m coming for you…
These ice lollies are like a smoothie on a stick. The peach bit is sweet and creamy, and goes perfectly with the sharp taste of the raspberries. Add a little bit more honey to the raspberries if you like things sweeter, or cut it back if sharpness is your thing. Personally, I think 2 tablespoons is spot on. But fill your boots!
If you know me, then you know I eat a lot of ice cream. We’re talking a whole tub of Ben & Jerry’s in one night. So it’s great to have a freezer treat alternative that isn’t full of sugar and chocolate, and can actually help towards my five a day. Basically, what’s not to love?
These are crazy easy to make too – just blitz up some fruit with some yogurt, pour into an ice lolly mould, and wait a few hours. Maybe the waiting isn’t so easy. Promise me you’ll do something better than create the chocolate cake from hell whilst you’re doing it.
The lolly mould I used is this NorPro one, which I had to get shipped here all the way from the USA. It was very important for me to have the type of lolly mould which has the ridges down the sides, I have absolutely no idea why. But if you aren’t as picky as me, then any lolly mould will do.
You might find it a bit difficult to get the little lollies out of their moulds, but this can easily be remedied by running them under hot water for 30 seconds. Then they will pop straight out. They won’t go back in though (thanks a lot science) so if you need to store them after you’ve removed them, then just wrap them up individually in baking parchment or grease-proof paper and stack them in the freezer.
If you want to use different fruits, then go ahead. I definitely will be experimenting with other flavour combinations in the near future, so expect many more ice lollies from me over the summer months. And ice cream. We’ve finally got our hands on an ice cream maker, courtesy of the wedding gift list. I’ve already got a batch of lemon ripple ice cream hardening up in the freezer, so when I can track down whichever box has the ice cream scoop in, I’m sure I will be sharing that with you too.
Summer is here basically, and I’m loving it.
- 3 large peaches, peeled and chopped
- 320g (1 & 1/3 cups) plain or vanilla full-fat yogurt
- 250g (2 cups) fresh raspberries
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- Place the peeled and chopped peaches into a blender or food processor, and blitz until pureed. Pour into a bowl, and mix in 160g (½ cup) of the yogurt. Keep the remaining 160g of the yogurt for the raspberries. Give the yogurt and peaches a good mix until all the yogurt has been incorporated, and then set aside.
- Place the raspberries in the blender or food processor and puree as before. Pour into a bowl, and mix in the remaining 160g (½ cup) of the yogurt. As raspberries tend to be quite sharp, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of clear honey to sweeten them up. Give it a taste, and then add some more honey if you think it's necessary.
- Spoon the yogurt mixtures into an ice lolly mould, alternating between raspberry and peach flavours to create a striped effect. Don't worry about being too precise, it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Place wooden sticks into the top of each ice lolly. If your mould doesn't have a way to hold the sticks straight, then put the lollies in the freezer for an hour or so and then place the sticks in. This will stop them from falling over.
- Leave in the freezer until completely frozen. I usually leave them overnight, but they should be ready within about 6 hours. Once ready to eat, run the mould under hot water for 30 seconds or so, and they should be easily removable.
- STORAGE
- The ice lollies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. It is best to keep them stored in the mould, but if you need to use it again in the meantime, then the ice lollies can be wrapped in baking parchment and placed back in the freezer.