Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Peanut Butter-Banana-Chocolate Yogurt Pops

It is August, so it’s no real surprise that it’s exceptionally hot outside. But maybe because we’d gotten lucky with comparatively milder summers for a few years, this summer has seemed really, really hot. In the middle of another triple-digit day, I have to wonder why I don’t own popsicle molds? I must have convinced myself that I wouldn’t use them very often, but right now they seem like an obvious necessity. I started pondering this kitchen tool question when I read about these yogurt pops in the July/August issue of Clean Eating magazine. They’re presented as one of three frozen breakfast pop options, and I was delighted with the ingredient list and its lack of refined sugar. They’re made with plain yogurt, natural peanut butter, cocoa powder, and a little maple syrup. I wanted to pull out the blender and get right to work. I had some paper cups that I could use to freeze the pops, and I just needed some popsicle sticks. And, that’s when I learned that I would have to go to a craft store to get popsicle sticks because the grocery stores where I looked didn’t have them. That should have been a sign that I need to just get popsicle molds. 

I pushed onward, found some sticks, readied the paper cups, and made the yogurt pops without molds. First, I toasted some unsalted organic peanuts and added salt. Next, a banana, some plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, natural peanut butter, and maple syrup were pureed in the blender. Some of the peanuts were added to the cups, and half of the mixture in the blender was poured over the peanuts in the cups. Back on the blender base, cocoa powder was added and mixed into the remaining yogurt mixture. The chocolate mixture was added to the cups, and more peanuts were sprinkled on top. Additional peanut butter is also suggested, but I skipped that and just added peanuts. I appreciated the simplicity of this recipe, but if you’d like a truly layered look it would require a little more time. To get layers, the first addition of yogurt mixture in the cups would need to be frozen until set before the chocolate mixture is added. Without that added step, you get a swirly result. Also, since I was new to popsicles, I didn’t realize the mixture needs to freeze and set a bit before you place a stick in the center of each cup, or the stick will just fall to the side. 


I feel like I learned some good lessons in the realm of popsicle science here. And, I got to enjoy some delicious frozen treats. The salty, crunchy peanuts were a delightful contrast to the ice-cold, creamy frozen yogurt, and I always love the mix of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter. What’s your opinion on whether popsicle molds are a kitchen necessity, and if you have some which kind do you recommend?


6 comments:

  1. I used to have some pop molds, but rarely used them. I need to check to see if they're see in our basement, where we store all of our excess kitchen stuff (and we have a lot!). So I can make these. Although truth be told, I kinda like the shape the paper cups make!

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  2. You have just have everything I love in one pop! I would love one now :-)

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  3. A fab summer treat! So many good ingredients all come together in this recipe. I have a Progressive brand pop mold. A top on the mold holds the sticks upright. But you still need to semi- freeze the ingredients, before adding the sticks. Otherwise the sticks may move, and taking the metal top off will be impossible. And of course, the sticks would not be in the correct position for consuming the final product.....

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  4. OMG! Now this is the kind of popsicle I could fall in love with. Forget those pretty pastel colors...I'll take this any day!

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  5. yum! my kind of popsicle, for sure! i like the paper cup idea too!

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  6. I think your paper cup idea sounds best- the popsicle molds tend to be shaped rather 'slenderline' so you couldn't jam all those flavors together as easily. Yoghurt and peanut butter together- my favorite ingredients!

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