Make your own popsicles with our quick and simple recipe for Cocoa Dulce Cherry Popsicles.
Popsicles. Ice cream. Frozen treats. One man holds the key to every child’s dreams and every parent’s angst… the ice cream man. He could be heard from afar with the theme song from the 1973’s movie, “The Sting,” (featuring Robert Redford and Paul Newman,) ringing out in the early evening sky. I hear him! I hear him! Where’s the sound coming from?! Mom, Dad, “can I get a popsicle or an ice cream? Please, please, pretty please?”
An ice cream truck always brings out the best begging and pestering skills of a child no doubt. Even as we sat as a family for dinner, the ice cream man always seemed to have my parents “number.” We would wiggle in our seats with anxious vigor trying to do our best to contain ourselves. “Finish your brussel sprouts,” says mom. “Yeah, sure, whatever you say,” and down the hatch it went. Just knowing that our driveway and shear moments were standing between us and a delicious, sugary frozen treat, gave us the “zoomies” before we even consumed one. (For my dog-lovers, you know what I’m talking about…)
I have to admit a story when I was in my mid-twenties. A friend and I went on vacation together to Florida. One afternoon, we were lying by the pool, getting some sun and napping off and on. As you may or may not know, Florida’s humidity is off the charts. So, needless to say we were jumping in the pool every 10 minutes. As we toweled off to lay back down on our chairs, the chiming music of the ice cream man’s truck rang out in the distance. I kid you not, without a thought, a conversation or a look at one another, we both got up and started running barefoot in our bathing suits towards the sound. We may or may not have jumped over some bushes and yelled out, “stop” in an attempt to cool ourselves off internally with a popsicle. For some reason, hearing the song of the ice cream man is like “Pavlov’s Dog.” When a bell is rang, the dog comes running with uncontrollable drool and foaming at the mouth knowing that a treat will be administered. The “Ice cream Men of America” may have had a meeting with “the minds” from prestigious universities near and far about the psychological effects a song and some ice cream could have on an individual. I don’t know much about the human psyche, but it works!
The music from the ice cream man rings out from time-to-time in my neighborhood now. I honestly feel this instinctive prompting to get up and start running towards the sound yelling, “STOP!” However I realize that would look ridiculous and I don’t want to end up on You Tube or Instagram. Instead, I’ve created my own delicious treats with just a few simple and inexpensive ingredients. Best part is I know what my treats are made of…sans “processed,” preservatives, food dyes, fillers, artificial sweeteners and the like. Unlike ice cream, popsicles can be made with yogurt or with unsweetened coconut milk depending on your preference. Each popsicle contains just a small amount of sugar for sweetness which means no “zoomies” for your kids or your dog. I could write an entire blog on the endless numbers of popsicle combinations but like anything else, everything in moderation, right?
Two of my favorite popsicle recipes are my Strawberry Fields Popsicles and these Cocoa Dulce Cherry Popsicles…to name a few. They are truly the quintessential summer treat. You’ll never miss the ice cream man…those days of stalking him are in the past.
- 7 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. Cocoa Dulce
- 1 cup Rainier cherries pitted
- Put all ingredients into a blender. Liquefy the ingredients together. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for up to 8 hours, (preferably overnight,) before serving.
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