Well, first things first. What do you think of the new site!? Since it’s only taken me almost two full years of blogging to get serious about getting a professional design implemented I think I deserve a treat. And my awesome, patient, and talented friend Sarah of Snixy Kitchen pretty much deserves all the treats. EVER. She did an awesome job of designing the site for me and putting up with my incredible talent for procrastination(for which I think I deserve another treat…..I’m very talented in that area).
So thanks Sarah, for putting up with me and giving me a site that suits my style. You’re a super genius. And all the rest of you who have no idea what you’re doing when it comes to web design, talk to my friend Sarah. She’s smart(and SUPER talented with blogging and photography, by the way. Just check out her site to see what I’m talking about. And prepare to be impressed.)
Also, a big thank you to my darling sister-in-law and mommy-to-be Stephanie for designing my logo. You can see more of her work over at Griffanie.com =)
So, these popsicles.
I guess I sort of have a thing for roasted blueberries, balsamic, and goats cheese. I used this combo a few months ago in THIS ice cream, fell in love, and never really got over it.
Summer is slowly slipping away, though the heat has yet to ebb. I guess I’m feeling a little melancholy about the whole thing and wanted to give all of you one more popsicle recipe before the sand buckets and sprinkler attachments are packed away for the year.
These popsicles are the perfect combination of sweet, tangy blueberries and creamy, mellow vanilla yogurt and goats cheese.
I love roasting blueberries with a little balsamic vinegar because it really brings out the flavor of the berries as well as giving them an incredible vibrant purple color. You can use fresh blueberries or frozen. Just make sure that you thaw them before roasting if using frozen.
Make sure that you follow the directions and whisk the softened goats cheese with a few tablespoons of yogurt first before whisking the rest of the ingredients together. This will make your yogurt mixture smooth and prevent any lumps of goats cheese from breaking up the silky texture of the popsicle. If you do happen to end up with lumps, just run the whole yogurt mixture through a fine mesh sieve and it will take care of the problem.
I often add just a little bit of vodka to fruit-based popsicles. This keeps them from freezing too hard and helps with keeping them from developing too many ice crystals. I always add a little vodka to my ice creams as well for the same reason.
More Popsicles?
Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pops
Cucumber Coconut Lime Popsicles
- 12 ounces Blueberries(fresh or frozen/thawed)
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vodka
- 2 ounces Goats Cheese, softened
- 24 ounces Vanilla Yogurt(full-fat)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- In an 8x8 baking dish, toss together the blueberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer blueberries and liquid to a blender, add the vodka, and puree until smooth. Run the puree through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids. Set aside, covered in the fridge.
- Place the softened goats cheese in a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the yogurt to the goats cheese and whisk together until no lumps remain. Add the remaining yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Set aside, covered in the fridge.
- Fill 12 popsicle molds ¼ of the way full with the blueberry puree. Place in the freezer and freeze for 1 hour. Fill the molds another ¼ of the way with the yogurt mixture. Pour the remaining blueberry puree another ¼ of the way up the mold on top of the yogurt mixture(the yogurt will be thick enough to support the puree). Run a wooden skewer down the sides of the molds to drag the blueberry puree into the yogurt mixture, if desired(to achieve a look like the pops pictured). Freeze for 2 hours. Fill the molds the rest of the way with the remaining yogurt mixture and insert popsicle sticks into each mold(the middle layers should not be solidly frozen yet so that you can still slide the sticks in).
- Freeze for another 4-6 hours before running molds under hot water to remove the pops.
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Your new site looks fabulous!! And so do these popsicles of course, especially with goat cheese–yum! 🙂
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
Gorgeous new site Kayley! Congratulations to you… I know it’s a process in patience. Your logo is gorgeous too. So creative. And these pops? The flavors are totally delicious and I can only imagine the depth of flavor the balsamic lends to the blueberries! Just gorgeous!
Kayley says
Thank you so much Traci!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
EEP! I’m so happy you love your new site – I just love how it came together with your vision (and your GORGEOUS photos make the design look 100x better:). Thank you for being awesome and for trusting me with your blog baby! I wish we lived closer so I could have one of these popsicles to celebrate. (When are you coming to CA??)