Blueberry Cheesecake Popsicles

Excessive heat for summer in Memphis is not uncommon. In fact it is the norm. However this summer happens to be extra hot earlier than usual. As a result of this torturous heat, turning on my oven to bake must first be justified by how much I want to sweat while enjoying whatever comes out in the end. But then I remembered that there are some recipes which require freezing instead of heating. Now that is a perfect summer recipe.

For this July 4th Holiday Recipe Club we were given the option of working with blueberries, whipped cream, and/or BBQ, which lead me straight to these popsicles. Originally they were created with wine, which sounded fabulous to me but in an effort to make these kid friendly I opted for pomegranate juice instead.

These required a little more work than popsicles I have made in the past, but were completely worth while. They really do taste just like blueberry cheesecake! The blueberry part is definitely the dominant flavor, but then you get a bite of the cheesecake and it’s magical. Everyone, young and old, enjoyed these!

Be sure to check out the rest of today’s recipes, seen at the bottom of this post.

I didn’t get as good of a shot as I had hoped for. Difficult taking pictures away from home sometimes.

One year ago: POM-Berry Ice Pops

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE POPSICLES

Makes eight 2-1/4 oz. popsicles

Ingredients:

1 pint of blueberries (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup POM 100% pomegranate juice

1/4 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup reduced fat cream cheese, softened

4 Tbsp of sugar

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used the cinnamon kind)

Directions:

1. Place blueberries, juice and simple syrup in a blender or food processor and puree. Set aside.
2. Place softened cream cheese into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy; set aside. Place heavy cream into a cold bowl with sugar and, using a hand beater or whisk, beat until soft peaks form. Fold in beaten cream cheese. Portion out 1/4 cup of cream cheese mixture into a separate bowl, add in graham cracker crumbs and whisk to combine.  Place each mixture into separate plastic bags and cut off a corner to create a small opening.
3. To assemble, pour 1 tablespoon of blueberry mixture into each well. Squeeze half a tablespoon of cheesecake mixture on top of blueberry layer. Squeeze a small dollop, about half a teaspoon, of graham cracker mixture on top of cheesecake mixture. Continue layering and repeating until top of each well is reached.
4. Cover top of popsicle form with foil and cut a tiny hole in the center of each well. Place popsicle stick through the hole.
5. Place in freezer until frozen. To release popsicles, run hot water over outside of mold for 2-3 seconds

SIMPLE SYRUP

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Place water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Cool before using.

Source: Adapted slightly from Bakers Royale.