Blackberry Lavender Popsicles {#SundaySupper #BeatTheHeat}

This week's #SundaySupper theme is #BeatTheHeat.  And just in case you breezed past the title of this post...or the first picture...I'll give you one guess as to how we beat the heat in our house.

Okay, I know you already know that I'm a little bit of a popsicle fanatic.  Little bit.  Unless, of course, this is your first visit to my little space.  In that case, I say welcome - pull up a lawn chair and have a popsicle!

I know it's been unseasonably...well okay, not unseeeeasonably, I suppose...more like unreasonably HOT this year.  And I could think of no better excuse to try as many different types of popsicles, paletas, ice pops, push pops, and ice cream bars as I possibly can.  Jen (this week's #SundaySupper host) is just encouraging me by choosing a #BeatTheHeat theme.

So, let's talk today's popsicles.  Blackberries and Lavender.  One of my new favorite combos.  It's bright and bold and (dare-I-say?) EXTRA berrylicious.  (I DO dare.)  These pops almost reminded me of a sno-cone in that I wanted to suck all of the sweet, delicious juices from the ice.  So.  Tasty.

Blackberry Lavender Popsicles

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 1 hour (mostly unattended) + time to freeze

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: snack dessert vegan berries July 4th popsicles summer

Ingredients (8 (2.5 oz.) pops)

• 1 heaping pint (2 cups) fresh blackberries
• ~¾ c. superfine sugar (or agave nectar)
• 1 Tbs. lavender buds (fresh or dried)
• 3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 c. cold water

Instructions

Stir sugar into blackberries and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add lavender and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to bubble gently for ~10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Smoosh up the berries with a potato masher to release all the juices. Stir lemon juice and water into mixture. Taste and add more sweetener, if you think it needs it. Refrigerate until cold, ~30 minutes.

Set a strainer over a large mixing bowl (preferably one with a pour spout). Strain mixture, pushing down with a rubber spatula to extract all the juices.

Pour into popsicle molds, adding the sticks at the correct time for your molds. Freeze until solid.

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See how all of the other #SundaySupper participants decided to Beat the Heat this week by scrolling through the recipes below.  I don't see a quick end to these super sweaty days, so you may want to put some of these ideas into action in the coming weeks!

#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:

• Refreshing Chunky Shrimp Salsa ~ The Weekend Gourmet
• Totally Cool Green Hummus ~ My Kitchen and I
• Smoked Whitefish Salad Bagel Bites ~ Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Watermelon and Goat Cheese Bites ~ Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
• Strawberry Gazpacho ~ Diabetic Foodie
• Grilled Loaded Baked Potato Skins ~ In the Kitchen with KP
• Sweet & Tangy Chili Lime Fruit Salad ~ Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:

• Cool Cucumber Salad ~ Momma’s Meals
• Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna ~ Shockingly Delicious
• Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe – Uborkasaláta Recept ~ The Watering Mouth
• Tomato Salad with Macadamia Cheese ~ Cooking’s Good Vegetarian Cafe
• Char-Grilled Corn Salad ~ The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Gazpacho ~ The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
• Summertime Sweet Pea Salad ~ Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
• Apple and Poppy Seed Coleslaw ~ Damn Delicious
• Cold Cucumber and Rice Salad ~ Mama.Mommy.Mom
• Chilly Dilly Cucumber Soup with Shrimp ~ Comfy Cuisine
• Mom’s Creamy Pea Salad ~ Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Greek (Yogurt) Potato Salad ~ Family Foodie

#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:

• Rainbow Slaw with Steak and Chipotle Crema ~ Cooking By The Seat of our Pants
• Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken ~ Make Dinner Easy
• Rolling with Kimbap ~ Kimchi Mom
• Ranch Chicken Tacos ~ Pippi’s In The Kitchen Again
• Serrano Ham, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwiches ~ Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Asian Veggie Lettuce Wraps ~ The Lemon Bowl
• Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork ~ Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• No Bake Pizza ~ The Meltaways

#BeatTheHeat Desserts:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Supper for a Steal
• No-Cook Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream ~ Chocolate Moosey
• Peach Sorbet ~ Magnolia Days
• Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• Icebox Chocolate Pie ~ Doggie at the Dinner Table
• Honey and Elderflower Ice Cream ~ Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Blackberry Lavender Popsicles ~ Girlichef
• Frozen Chocolate Bananas ~ In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Strawberry-Lime Margarita Ice Cream ~ Cookistry
• Elegant Fruit Jellies ~ Happy Baking Days
• Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches ~ That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Baker Street
• Vanilla Peach Swirl Frozen Yogurt ~ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Espresso and Toasted Almond Semifreddo ~ The Messy Baker
• Mango Ice Cream ~ Queen’s Notebook
• Raspberry Mousse ~ Basic and Delicious
• White Apricot & Honeysuckle Sorbet ~ Family Spice
• Biscoff Ice Cream Cupcakes ~ Juanita's Cocina

#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:

• Shirley Temple ~ Cravings of a Lunatic
• Coco-Limeade ~ What Smells So Good?
• Prickly Pear White Wine Spritzer ~ Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Classic Daquiri ~ Katherine Martinelli
• Salty Lassi ~ Soni’s Food for Thought
• Blueberry Mint Lemonade ~ Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet Basil & Cucumber Melon Smoothie ~ Daily Dish Recipes

Wine Pairings Provided By: ENOFYLZ

Jen of Juanita's Cocina is hosting this event - make sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day on Sunday, and at 3:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper Twitter chat!  All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat!  We’ll be sharing great recipes and tips all afternoon, and we’ll be talking all things #BeatTheHeat during our chat!

We’d also love to feature your recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers!

I am sharing this post with:
Herbs on Saturday: hosted at Bangers & Mash