Mint limeade popsicles, Trial #1

Background:
Did I mention how much I love limes? You may have guessed, considering most of my posts so far have included fresh lime juice. For the first time, we splurged on a bag of limes from Costco and actually finished it without any going bad. We often made limeade with lime juice, simple syrup, and seltzer (2:1:2 ratio). So this time, I decided to try a straight-up lime popsicle with some crushed mint.

Materials:
1c lime juice
1/2c simple syrup
fresh mint, crushed under a mortar and pestle


Methods:
- Combine and let ingredients steep for half an hour
- Then strain mint leaves and pour into popsicle molds


Result:
Appearance: Lovely soft lime color
Texture: Not solid ice! Actually turns slushy when biting into it; not sure why. Perhaps the acidity? But it's fantastic.
Flavor: Holy moly, it is sour.

Conclusion:
While the texture is out of this world, it is way too sour to enjoy in a reasonable amount of time. The next batch will be diluted with water and syrup by 50%.

Cold brew cafe au lait popsicles, Trial #1

Background:
Inspired by my husband and friends, I decided to try making cold brew coffee. Although I am not a coffee drinker - I'm extremely sensitive to caffeine - coffee ice cream is one of my very favorite things to eat. Because of this, I was curious enough to want to see what the hype was about.
The verdict? It was so delicious (with generous amounts of dairy and sugar of course,) that I thought it would make a great popsicle.

Materials:
- Cold brew coffee (see recipes #1, #2, #3)
- Half and half

Methods:
- I used approximately 1:1 ratio of the ingredients. If you added enough brown sugar or simple syrup to the coffee, no need to add here.

Result:
Appearance: Nice subtle, even coffee color; the cinnamon (from the cold brew recipe, which sank) was sprinkled at the top
Texture: A really nice combination of icey and creamy (similar to Korean ice pops, if you know what I mean)
Flavor: Awesome sophisticated coffee flavor, without losing the fun of being a popsicle.

Conclusion:
This one is definitely a keeper. Even though I will probably be enjoying this as a 'breakfast popsicle' until I make a decaf version, that won't stop me!

Lime Watermelon Popsicles - Trial #2

This time, I went for simplicity:

Materials:
- Lots of watermelon
- The juice of 4-5 limes
- A good splash of simple syrup

Result:
Appearance: Not very even, splotches where red is absent
Texture: Appropriately icey
Flavor: Wonderful lime and watermelon flavor this time.

Conclusion:
To my surprise, the result was significantly better than Trial #1. I guess what happened was that the yogurt killed the watermelon flavor. This 'purer' recipe allowed all the flavors to shine. Of course the texture of this is like ice, but if that doesn't detract from your enjoyment, make this! This is a keeper.

Lime Watermelon Popsicles - Trial #1

Background:
I used a recipe based on what I saw in this video.

Methods:
- In a blender, fill 3/4 full with watermelon pieces
- Add juice of five limes
- Add a large spoonful of greek yogurt
- Add a dollop of honey
- Blend

Result:
Appearance: Nice even watermelon color
Texture: Appropriately icey
Flavor: Disappointed; could taste the lime but barely any watermelon.

Conclusion:
Although the hubby liked them, I wouldn't make these again due to the dearth of watermelon flavor.

[Side note:
I tasted as I went before deciding the juice of five limes was a good amount.]

Green Tea Popsicles - Trial #1

Materials:
- 2 c fat free half and half
- 4 tbsp simple syrup
- 1 tsp matcha green tea powder

Result:
Appearance: Lovely green color
Texture: Not bad, but want it a little less icey to match the creamy taste.
Flavor: The matcha flavor was awesome; it could be sweeter.

Conclusion:
This recipe was delicious, but not quite perfect. Next time, I'm going to use full-fat half and half and perhaps add a little sweetened condensed milk for texture and flavor.

[Side note:
When taste-testing before freezing, make it sweeter than I would like if I were to sip the liquid.]