Laura in the Kitchen: Cherry-Cheesecake Pops

It has been a HOT summer, eh? (I threw an "eh" into conversation with an American friend today...gosh. You know you're back in Canada when...)

I was browsing my mom's Chatelaine magazine and came across this recipe for Cherry-Cheesecake Pops. Cheesecake + Frozen = Perfection on a warm summer day. 

So here's Cherry-Cheesecake Pops: The Musical! Sorry I got carried away...it's just a recipe. But you can sing while you're making them.

1. Start out with 2 cups of cherries.

  

2. (This part stinks a bit, unless you're Martha Stewart and have people do this for you.) You have to pit and chop up the cherries so that they look something like this. You can actually buy a cherry pitter if you like to pit cherries on a regular basis, such as this one: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/oxo-olive-and-cherry-pitter/.

 3. This picture skips a few steps, but basically you have to whip up HALF a brick of cream cheese (I emphasize HALF, because I got cream cheese happy and added a whole brick = extra cheesy cream cheese pops), whip up some whipped cream, add some honey, lime juice and the chopped cherries. At this point, I've folded everything together to form a light, creamy mixture. (Again, HALF a brick of cream cheese.)

 4. Crush up some graham crackers (which are found in the cookie aisle) and put it at the bottom of 12, 3oz dixie cups.

 5. Fill 'er up and stick some popsicle sticks in the center of each cup. I made some of my pops Gluten Free for my mama, who has Celiac Disease. Easy...omit the graham crackers.

6. Let freeze for about 3 hours and VOILA! Cherry-Cheesecake Pops!

I think they're really cute and I especially like how you don't need fancy popsicle moulds to make them. I think its also a great recipe because you can experiment with endless flavors. Substitute blueberries or strawberries instead of cherries, or go for lemon or lime flavor by adding more fruit juice and some rind. Be creative! You can find the complete recipe at: http://food.chatelaine.com/Recipes/View/Cherry-cheesecake-pops.

And of course, enjoy them with a friend!

Just make sure she's not allergic to cherries.

Sorry Em. :)