Temperatures are soaring here in Minnesota.  Some summers are so cool I barely wear shorts, but today I actually had to put on the air – and when that happens, you better believe, you betcha, that I’m looking for cool things to eat like these Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles (and ways to keep the oven off!)

Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles

This is one of the strangest recipes, but it really “works,” and it is amazingly good. Think of a super creamy creamsicle with a little tang and a lemon flavor instead of orange. I first found this back in ’02 in Bon Appetit. I never told my kids what was in it, and they’ve “lapped” it up every summer for the past ten years.

These are super easy: three ingredients:  Buttermilk, Lemon, and Sugar, plus the optional Thyme. I did adapt the recipe just a bit – I cut back on the sugar and changed the size to fit my popsicle mold, and rather than trying to juice and measure, I just use two lemons. Seriously, who wants to waste lemon?

Making Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles:

I microplane the lemon zest and you can just barely detect it in the pops, which I don’t mind at all.  If a very slight texture bothers you, maybe leave it out (which would be a bit of a shame since the zest contributes to the bright flavor) or maybe give it a whirl in the food processor or blender.

In my Progressive molds, this makes about 10 popsicles, but molds vary. If you’re uncertain how much your molds hold, fill with water and then measure that water.

Make Life Easier when Making Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles:

There are two tricks that help keep the popsicle sticks in the right place in the popsicle if using wooden sticks: Either presoak the sticks for about an hour, or wait until your mixture has started to set up and add in the sticks.

One thing to make life easier:  When you unmold popsicles, generally you dip the molds in warm water which can create a damp surface on the outside of the pop. No problem if you’re eating them a.s.a.p, but if you want to store them, line a flat pan with wax or parchment and freeze until the popsicles have rehardened, then wrap.

Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles

Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles

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So much better than they sound!

• Author: adaped from Bon Appetit
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes + freeze
• Yield: 10 popsicles but varies with mold 1x
• Category: Desserts Frozen
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• Juice and zest of two lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/4  cups buttermilk
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• finely minced thyme leaves (optional)

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Instructions

Zest lemons and squeeze into a container with a spout.  Add zest and sugar and whisk, add part of the buttermilk and mix until sugar is dissolved. Add the rest of the buttermilk and stir. Pour into the molds and freeze for about four hours and up to five days.

Nutrition:

Here are the values for a Lemon Buttermilk Popsicle, based on 10 popsicles:  Cal 103; cal from fat:  4.45 (4%); tot fat: .55g; chol: 2.21mg; sod 58.73; tot carb: 24.95; fib 1.02g; sug 22.6g; prot 2.08g.