Sweet Cherry Yogurt Pops

Fresh, sweet cherries and creamy yogurt are all you need to make one healthy and 

delicious frozen treat that the whole family will love!

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? Break out those ice cream makers my friends, and let's get going! I remember my aunt and uncle having one of those old fashioned giant hand crank machines, the ones that you put the ice and salt in. You'd have to sit there and crank and crank and turn and turn for what seemed like hours to make that ice cream! But in the end it was so worth it to get that fresh, homemade deliciousness. I absolutely loved it and it was a highlight of many childhood summers.

Fast forward many years (many, MANY years), and now I have a fancy ice cream maker that does all the turning for me. No ice needed. No hand cranking. I kind of miss that old machine, but on the other hand it's way easier doing it this way and much quicker! I make my own ice cream quite often during the summer, but I also love making other frozen treats, like frozen yogurt and popsicles. I have a few different popsicle molds and love trying different combinations from sweet to fruity to chocolaty and even sometimes spicy. This week I took some delicious, fresh sweet cherries and combined them with thick and creamy Greek yogurt and got the best ever Sweet Cherry Yogurt Pops.

Seriously though, theses pops only have four ingredients, five if you include water, but I don't count that as an ingredient. So four it is. Cherries, sugar, yogurt and vanilla. Four. Ingredients. A few minutes to make a simple syrup, blend everything up, get it into your popsicle molds, then the freezer does the rest. Whip these up first thing in the morning and by late afternoon you'll be snacking on delicious, and healthy, cherry pops! Happy eating!

Sweet Cherry Yogurt Pops
Author: Sarah Bates | The Chef Next Door
Makes 10 popsicles
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Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Make the simple syrup by adding the sugar and water to a small saucepan and bringing to a simmer over low heat, just until the sugar has melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

Add all of the ingredients to the container of a blender and blend until smooth.

Divide the mixture evenly into 10 popsicle molds. Add the popsicle sticks, then freeze until firm, about 5 hours. Remove the popsicles from the molds and place in a freezer safe bag until ready to eat.

Bon Appetit!

I'm proud to partner with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and I thank them for sponsoring this post! I was compensated for developing a recipe to celebrate National Ice Cream Month with my favorite frozen novelty treats. As always, all opinions are my own. UDIM, branded as Milk Means More, is the umbrella organization for the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council of Michigan. Their goal is to promote Michigan’s locally produced dairy products and reconnect consumers with the people behind their food.

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