In a recent post about things I want to do this summer, I mentioned making popsicles and other frozen desserts. So far I’ve tried a couple of recipes, and this one is by far the winner. These are creamy and lemony and, with the hint of vodka, they feel like a grown-up version of a creamsicle.
Lemon Vodka Cream Pops
Recipe adapted from from this one.
3 or 4 medium lemons
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup 1% or 2% milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. table salt
2 Tbsp vodka
Instructions
Remove all of the zest from the lemons using a citrus zester. Set the lemons aside.
Combine the lemon zest, cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat. Let steep at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Squeeze 2/3 cup juice from the lemons. Stirring constantly, slowly pour the lemon juice into the cooled cream mixture. Stir in the vodka.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a 4-cup glass measure (or any container with a spout for easy pouring), pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Divide the mixture among eight 3-oz. pop molds and freeze overnight.
Aren’t these rocket ship molds fun?
The second time I made these, I had some fresh raspberries on hand and couldn’t resist trying a little experiment. Lemon and raspberry is always a great combination as far as I’m concerned, so I really liked how these turned out. Plus, they’re super pretty.
If you want to make the raspberry version, fill up your molds half-way with the lemon-vodka-cream mixture, then add 5-10 whole raspberries, depending on the size of your mold. Fill up the mold the rest of the way with the popsicle batter. If necessary, when you insert the stick use it help evenly distribute the raspberries. Freeze and enjoy!
P.S. I’m sure you could make these without the alcohol, though I haven’t tried it.
