COCONUT, CHERRY AND VANILLA BEAN ICE POPS

Coconut, Cherry and Vanilla Bean Ice Pops image

Juicy cherries, creamy coconut milk and a generous amount of vanilla come together to create a delicious frozen dessert that's ideal for scorching days. These are not your regular ice pops, loaded with refined sugar: Small amounts of honey and maple syrup give just the right amount of sweetness and add flavor. Try experimenting with layering the ingredients to create different patterns. The only difficult part is waiting for them to freeze!

Provided by Amy Chaplin

Categories dessert

Time 9h35m

Yield 10 to 12 pops, depending on the size of the molds

Number Of Ingredients 8

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Ingredients

2 cups fresh sweet cherries, such as Bing, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch cinnamon
3 to 4 drops almond extract
2 cans full-fat coconut milk
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved
3 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Steps:

Bring the cherries, maple syrup, cinnamon and almond extract to a simmer in a small pot over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the cherries are juicy and soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and set aside.
In another small-to-medium pot, bring the coconut milk and vanilla bean seeds and pods to a simmer over high heat, whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the honey and vanilla extract. Remove and reserve the vanilla bean pod. Pour the mixture into a pitcher or measuring jug and set aside.
Place a strainer over the blender jar. Add the cooked cherries, and press out the juice. Add 1/3 of the cherry pulp and 1 cup of the coconut milk mixture, and blend until smooth. You should have about 2 cups of liquid. Refrigerate. Divide the remaining coconut milk mixture among ice pop molds, and place them in the freezer until semifrozen, about 1 hour. Remove them from the freezer, and divide the remaining cherry pulp among the molds. Top with the blended cherry-coconut mixture, place the lids on top, add sticks and freeze until solid, at least 8 hours.
To remove the ice pops, dip the molds in warm water for a few seconds, then carefully pull on the sticks to release.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 184 calorie, Fat 12 grams, SaturatedFat 8 grams, Cholesterol 0 milligrams, Sodium 36 milligrams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fiber 1 milligrams, Protein 1 grams, Sugar 12 grams