Blueberry Cashew Creamsicles

I’ve never really gotten into homemade popsicles truth be told. But you know what? These have totally changed my mind. I can officially call myself a homemade popsicle lover. I now understand the appeal–you know all the ingredients that go into them, it’s a great summertime activity with littles and they’re delicious. Inspired by a classic New England favorite, blueberry pie, these blueberry cashew creamsicles are the perfect summertime treat, high in antioxidants and protein yet sweet enough to satisfy the littles. And if blueberries don’t float your boat, scroll to the bottom to see all of the popsicle recipes from my friends on this summertime blog hop.

We don’t have any nut allergies in our home so we eat quite a few, if you do you’ll want to steer clear of this recipe or make a coconut-based cream. Cashews are known for their amazing ability to make all things creamy and delicious. As a dietitian, I can’t believe I’ve never made cashew cream before, it is SO good. It’d be great on waffles, pancakes or drizzled over a bowl of fruit as dessert. It is sweet and satisfying–satisfying because it contains “good” fats or heart-healthy” fats and it is the fat in foods that make us feel satiated and content. There is a significant difference between the fats you should avoid (saturated and trans fats) and these heart healthy ones. Cashews are a natural source of these “good” fats which makes this cashew cream so satisfying.

I think the key to making really good cashew cream is properly soaking the raw nuts and having a good blender. We have a Vitamix and it really creams things nicely. It was a Christmas gift from my sweet momma years ago and worth every penny for the amount we use it. I know that it is a pricey kitchen investment but I really can’t recommend it enough. Since it has a wider base, you often need larger proportions to get the consistency right. Not a problem since my 16 popsicles (I was experimenting with different molds) used almost all of it. And there may have been quite a bit of “taste testing” by yours truly and the littles.

Here’s the thing with soaking nuts. Do it. It makes your raw nuts more nutritious by removing a good part of the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that can interrupt your bodies’ ability to absorb the good nutrients in the nuts like protein and B vitamins. This article by The Wellness Mama sums it up nicely.

VANILLA CASHEW CREAM

2 C Raw Cashews, soaked overnight, water discarded and rinsed

1 C Water

4 Tbsp Agave Sweetener (I get mine at Trader Joes)

1 Tbsp Vanilla Bean Extract (I like this brand and always have it on hand)

1/4 tsp sea salt

Start the day before you want to make the cashew cream by soaking your raw cashews, I aim for 24 hours. Cover the cashews completely in water and add 1/2 tsp salt, I let mine just sit on the counter overnight. After 24 hours, drain the water, give them a rinse and they’re ready to cream.

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend on high for a solid minute or more. The goal is really to liquify the nuts completely so you have a cream that isn’t gritty. When done correctly it will literally feel like a fluffy cream. This is really the “hard” part of the whole thing. Set aside in a large bowl if you’re going to be making your popsicles immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Clean the blender if you want that variegated layer look we talked about earlier. If you’re planning on mixing the blueberries and cream together, save yourself a step and don’t clean the blender, throw the blueberries in and go.

At this point you’re ready to puree up your blueberries so you can start mixing the two components for the perfect summertime popsicles. Having made them in the variegated layer way like you see pictured, I think next time I will mix the blueberry puree with the cashew cream. Because the cashew cream has naturally occurring fat it freezes differently then the water-based pureed blueberries which can feel icy or “crystally” when frozen. I think I may prefer them mixed. Just food for thought, can you really get it wrong with popsicles?

BLUEBERRY PUREE

4 C fresh blueberries

4 Tbsp Agave Sweetener

Lemon zest

Since this is inspired by your classic blueberry pie, crush up two graham crackers and set aside. You can layer this inside your popsicles and dip them later for a yummy crunch and pretty presentation.

I bought two kinds of silicone popsicle molds off Amazon and frankly love them both. The food-grade silicone makes them a breeze to get the popsicle out of which, when you have eager littles, is of utmost importance. I like this one as it gives you that standard popsicle shape and this one which would be good for fudgesicles or displays well for a party as it is smooth on the sides.

INSTRUCTIONS

In the blender, combine fresh blueberries, water, lemon zest and agave sweetener. Blend until liquified. Just a quick note on the Agave Sweetener. Holy yum. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a natural sweetener like honey but it doesn’t have a distinct flavor. Which means it sweetens without offering up a competing flavor in recipes. Highly recommended. Back to the blending, my boys don’t like chunks so I made sure it was well pureed. At this point you’ve got the vanilla cashew cream and the pureed blueberries. Either mix them together for blueberry cream which we talked about earlier or start pouring a little of each into your molds, giving the layers a little swirl to incorporate just a tad before adding the next layer. Sprinkle in some graham cracker crumb into the different layers. I filled mine until about 1/4″ from the level top of the mold. Put the wooden sticks in place and freeze until solid, several hours to overnight depending on your freezer.

These little sweetie pies couldn’t wait to dig in. A delicious summertime treat, captured beautifully by my sweet friend Ruthie of Ruth Eileen Photography. You guys, if you’re local and need a photographer, snag her up!