If you have been following me on my Instagram account, you would know that I first shared these popsicles on Valentines Day. My daughter loves her frozen treats and desserts and I made this especially for her on Valentines. A healthy snack or a breakfast treat or may be as dessert, these popsicles can be served at anytime of the day or as your heart desires. A healthy frozen treat is how I would like to put it. I used yogurt cream (since I could not get my hands on Greek yogurt) which is attained by hanging the regular unsweetened yogurt in a cheesecloth or muslin cloth and using the thick yogurt for making the popsicle. If Greek yogurt is easily available, feel free to use it. Also, I used strawberry compote for the yogurt and chia to bring more depth in flavors to the popsicles and I do not regret that wee bit extra effort I had to put in. You can use strawberry puree if you wish to but I would strongly recommend you use compote for these popsicles. The orange zest gives it that oomph that you don’t want to miss.
For Yogurt
400 grams Yogurt (I had used store bought)
2 – 3 tbsp Agave Nectar (feel free to swap it with honey or a sweetener of your choice, adjust the amount accordingly)
For Compote
Zest of an Orange (I used two, more the merrier!)
60 ml Orange Juice (I used freshly squeezed)
½ C Brown Sugar (use any sweetener of your choice – adjust the sweetness accordingly)
1 quill Cinnamon
450 gm Strawberries (hulled and cleaned)
For Strawberry Chia Layer
3 tbsp Chia Seeds
Line a sieve with cheese cloth or muslin cloth and put the sieve over a pot or container (to catch the drips)
Gently whisk the yogurt and pour it over the cheese cloth. Spread it around and cover the cheese cloth lined sieve and keep the pot in the refrigerator overnight to allow the yogurt to release water and thicken.
You will attain thick yogurt the next morning. (I hung the yogurt for a good 12 hours)
I could attain very thick 200 grams of thick yogurt/ yogurt cream.
Remove the yogurt carefully from the cheesecloth into a bowl. Cover the bowl & refrigerate.
Slice the strawberries and set aside.
In a pot, add brown sugar, orange juice, cinnamon quill and orange zest and bring to a boil on medium heat. Keep stirring and boil for a minute.
Add strawberries and as soon as it comes to a boil, remove from heat. Allow the strawberries to cool. Remove and discard the cinnamon quill and puree the strawberries.
Take six tablespoons from the strawberry puree and add the chia seeds. Mix well and set aside for 15 – 20 minutes.
Remove the thickened yogurt from the refrigerator and gently whisk in rest of the strawberry compote.
Pour equal amount of yogurt into popsicle moulds till half full and top with the chia seeds strawberry compote. (I froze the yogurt in muffins liner cups and filled each with approximately 60 grams of yogurt before topping with the chia mix) And I set the yogurt for 45 minutes before inserting the sticks.
Cover the mould and freeze over night. Dip the mould in warm water to extract the popsicle and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Yields – 6
Note – You can add the compote and chia seeds alternately into the mould for a layered effect. For a rippled effect, gently run a knife through them.
Note – I felt the need to add agave nectar as the yogurt tasted a bit sour. Also note that the you will need to add a little more sweetness than required as the sweetness seems to reduce once the yogurt freezes.
Thanks for your visit and see you soon again with another exciting recipe!
YUM these popsicles look and sound so refreshing and delicious! I love strawberries and chia seeds together – such a great combo!
A perfectly healthy and delicious summer cooler!
This is the right recipe… nephews will devour these delicious popsicles for sure!
Wow, these look amazing! Fun recipe, and very creative — thanks!
Not only are they just a beautiful looking snack, I’ll bet they taste amazing. Still haven’t had chia seeds. This looks like a great place to start.