Strawberry & Basil Popsicles

My daughter absolutely loves homemade popsicles and they are incredibly easy to do at home, just a popsicle mold and some great ingredients and you have the best freezer pops you have ever had. You can make them in any flavor, with yogurt, with alternative sweeteners or make them with all fruit like this particular recipe. These popsicles are filled with almost 2 pints of fresh, local strawberries and they taste just like you bit into a ripe, sweet berry! I love the flavor of herbs with fruit, it makes for a very interesting dessert or treat. These pops are full of basil, which is part of the mint family so it lends itself well to dessert and fruit. Basil is also very nutritious so its a popsicle you can feel good about eating or feeding your family! Strawberry and basil is my favorite fruit/herb combination, if you have never had herbs in dessert, I highly recommend it!

This recipe makes 8 freezer pops.

Ingredients

2 Pints organic strawberries, hulled and chopped.
1/2 Cup basil simple syrup, recipe to follow*
5 Fresh, organic basil leaves
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 Cup water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Enjoy!

*Basil Simple Syrup

A few bunches of fresh, organic basil, leaves and stems, about 1 cup, loosely packed.
1 Cup water
1 Cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar

In a sauce pan bring all ingredients to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, cool completely and strain out basil. Use this syrup for anything you need to sweeten that is cold, ice tea, lemonade or your homemade popsicles! Store in fridge for up to 2 months.