Tried & Tested: Cherry Apple Whiskey Popsicles

If you are an avid pinner, you know that right now this summer's hottest trend has to be popsicles. Let's blame the heat or the fact that adults are looking for an excuse to reminisce about their glory days (does anyone remember the batman/wonder woman versions from the 80s?). Trying to spice up our 4th of July plans with something sweet but also tasty, I landed on Design Crush's feature filled with a variety of pops that it could make the ice cream man jealous. One in particular that caught my eye: Cherry Apple Whiskey Popsicles by Bakers Royale. Yes, I said whiskey. This one was a sure bet since Sam adores anything with whiskey. Not being one to spend much time in the kitchen, this blog isn't going to write itself, I thought this recipe would be a piece of cake—no pun intended. Well, here are the lessons I learned in the kitchen:

Lessons Learned:

1. Make sure you have plenty of time to prep. The recipe calls for 1 lb of cherries. For some reason I thought this task wouldn't take me that long so I took the luxury of napping instead of prepping. Rookie mistake. The pitting takes time if you don't have a fancy device give yourself a solid 3o minutes to pit.
2. The sales woman at Sur La Table was right: Alcohol doesn't make for a good popsicle mixer. With the remaining mix I had left, I filled my new large ice cube molds from Tovolo and discovered that this recipe actually works best without a stick. Almost like a shaved ice. Perfect with a spoon so ditch the stick or better yet, try it with Tovolo's SPHERE ice molds that I'm completely obsessed with.
3. Choose a good whiskey. These bad boys are strong so you'll want something smooth to compliment the tartness of the cherries. Basically don't go for well, spend a little extra for one your taste buds will enjoy. I went with Fighting Cock, a 6 year aged bourbon whiskey—hard to find but worth it.
4. Why are there no photos of the final product? Read between the lines on lesson 2. It may not have been beautiful to look at but it sure as hell tasted great.
5. Pour after the mixture stills down a little. You don't want all that fizz filling your molds.

Cherry Apple Whiskey Sour Poptails (source: Bakers Royal on Endless Summer)

Makes eight 2-and-1/4-oz. popsicles

· 3 cups cherries (weighing 1lb) · 1 large green apple (weighing 6oz) · 1 lime (weighing 3 1/2oz) · 1 cup whiskey · ½ cup of sweet and sour mix (homemade recipe follows)

1. Pit cherries; set aside. Peel away apple and lime skin and cut fruit into quarters.

2. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until mixture is pureed. Mixture will be thick.

3. Pour mixture into popsicle forms and freeze for about 2 hours or until mixture starts to solidify enough to hold a popsicle stick upright. Insert popsicle sticks and finish freezing popsicles overnight. To release popsicles run hot water on the outside of popsicle molds for a 2-3 seconds.

Sweet and Sour Mix

· 1/2 cup water · 1/2 cup sugar · 1 cup lemon juice

1. Place sugar and water in a sauce pan and heat until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside to cool before using.

Check out a variety of pops listed on Design Crush and follow Bakers Royale here for more awesome recipes. Be sure to check in next week for my attempt at making pasta.