Peaches & Cream Greek Yogurt Popsicles

Weather: clear and bright, hundreds of dandelions on the property
What I’m listening to: Better With You, This Wild Life

Like watermelon, sunscreen, the smell of a charcoal grill, and flip-flops, popsicles say childhood and summertime to me. Every year when the kids are home for summer vacation, I experiment with different popsicle variations, like my trusty Watermelon Lime Popsicles and Banana Fudge Popsicles. Although I was out of practice, the first batch for this year was a delicious success.

The inspiration for these came simply from a handful of overripe peaches sitting in the fruit bowl. Popsicles are a fantastic use of overripe fruit in the warmer months, when we’re less likely to feel like using the oven for baking a quick bread or standing over the hot stove boiling a batch of homemade jam.

The pretty little flecks of magenta in the popsicles are from the peach peels that I didn’t bother trying to remove. Rather, I sliced the juicy peaches in half, removed the pit, and dropped them straight into my Vitamix blender. I added a half a cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, and a small splash of almond extract to enhance the peach flavor. Then, I sweetened it to taste. It’s important to remember that fresh fruit popsicles aren’t concrete measurement types of recipes. How much sweetener you’ll add will depend entirely on how sweet your fruit and Greek yogurt are. Also, feel free to choose your sweetener of choice: sugar, honey, agave, etc. In a small bowl, I mixed together one cup of Greek yogurt, one half cup unsweetened coconut milk, some additional vanilla to kick the “cream” aspect up a notch, then sweetened to taste. I poured the cream mixture and the peaches mixture into the popsicle mold alternately, then popped them in the freezer.

The kids enjoy them as an afternoon snack or as their dessert after dinner… and I sit back with a satisfied grin because I know they’re getting fresh fruit, protein-packed, low-fat Greek yogurt, and honest ingredients in their sweet summertime treats.

Peaches & Cream Greek Yogurt Popsicles

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Fresh peaches and protein-packed Greek yogurt form the base for these delectable frozen summertime treats.

Yields: 10 three-ounce popsicles

• For the peach layer:
• 3-4 small overripe peaches, sliced in half, pits removed
• ½ cup vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
• splash of almond extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or sweetener of choice - honey, agave, etc.), or to taste
• For the cream layer:
• 1 cup vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk*
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or sweetener of choice - honey, agave, etc.), or to taste
• Special equipment needed:
• Popsicle mold
• Popsicle sticks

For the peach layer: Add the peaches, yogurt, extract, and sugar (or sweetener of choice) to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and adjust as needed. Set aside.

For the cream layer: In a small bowl, stir together the 1 cup yogurt, coconut milk, vanilla, and sugar (or sweetener of choice) until smooth and well combined. The mixture should be just thinned out enough to pour into the popsicle molds. If too thick, add more coconut milk as needed until pourable. Taste for sweetness and adjust as needed.

Pour cream and peach mixture into the molds alternately, beginning with cream, followed by peach, then a little more cream. Freeze for 30 minutes. Insert popsicle sticks into the popsicles and return the mold to the freezer until firm, at least 2 hours. Enjoy.