I’m in Oklahoma City for the month of July and the temp has been hovering around 106°F every day. As a Yankee, my body’s not used to having to cool itself down so much so I’m thirsty all the time. All week long I’ve been craving ice cold watermelon. Cravings for cold foods are often just a mask for thirst, so this makes perfect sense. Yesterday it was 112° and I drove by an ice cream truck and suddenly the idea of a popsicle made excellent sense! Actually eating a traditional, dye-and-sugar-filled popsicle is never a good plan, though. It was, however, inspiration to put my two big cravings together. I hope you enjoy the result!

Watermelon Pops

 

1 1/4 pound chilled seedless watermelon chunks (about 3-4 cups of bite-sized chunks)

 

Juice and zest of 1 small lime

 

1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (rice syrup, palm sugar, erythritol, or a few drops of vanilla stevia will all work), optional, to taste

 

Pinch salt

 

Puree all ingredients together in a high-powered blender until well incorporated. Taste and adjust for sweetness or tartness if necessary. Quickly pour into 6 popsicle molds (try to leave the foam behind) and freeze solid, 3-4 hours. If you don’t have popsicle molds, you can pour into ice cube trays and stick toothpicks or swizzle sticks into each cube once the mix is frozen enough to hold them upright – at about the 2 hour mark.

 

You can also skip the sticks altogether and blend a few frozen cubes into a quick slushy or soft Italian ice and eat with a spoon.