Black Forest Popsicles – A Healthier Frozen Treat for Summer!
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This post has been compensated as part of my ongoing partnership with Barlean’s and may contain affiliate links. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
Cool off with these intense chocolate + cherry-studded popsicles! They’re packed with antioxidants + nutrients from over a dozen fruits & veggies.
The past few weeks here in New York have been one big massive heatwave, and I for one am over it.
Between the heat and the humidity (and the broken air conditioning in my car), my family has been all about the icy cold snacks.
And as much as I’d love to eat ice cream every single day, that’s not exactly something I should be indulging in all the time.
So when I got these super cute Mod Pops popsicle molds from Zoku and an assortment of powdered greens from my friends at Barlean’s, I knew that healthier popsicles were totally going to happen.
Fresh cherries have been on sale at my local supermarket lately, and they’ve been so juicy and sweet that I’ve been stocking up every time I go shopping.
I figured I’d do a riff on one of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors, Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. Me and my mom used to get our own individual pints of Cherry Garcia, grab spoons, and dive in while watching movies together.
We both loved the flecks of chocolate and chunks of cherries buried in the ice cream.
So, so good.
I decided to make these popsicles healthier than your standard frozen treat by using fresh fruit along with some dark chocolate, almond milk, plain yogurt, and an extra boost of goodness from Barlean’s Chocolate Silk Greens Powder.
The chocolate in the powder is super smooth and is loaded with antioxidants from fair-trade cocoa along with nutrients from more than a dozen fruits and veggies. It’s non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, dairy free, and vegan, to boot.
AND it contains natural plant fiber from chicory and flaxseed.
My husband and son both have lactose issues, so having options like this at home is awesome. I can make chocolate milk with a nice nutritional boost, and it won’t bother their stomachs.
For the popsicles, I used almond milk as the base along with some plain, whole milk yogurt. Both of them are able to eat yogurt because of the live and active cultures, and I figured it’d make these popsicles a bit creamier.
My kiddo was suuuuper excited to help me assemble these popsicles. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have even caught him learning to use a cherry pitter for this recipe!
To make these popsicles similar to Cherry Garcia, I wanted to chop up the cherries and some chocolate so each frozen pop would be studded with chunks of both.
We went pretty heavy on the chunks, and it worked out really well. You could skip the chunks altogether if you want a smoother popsicle experience.
Just be sure to stir the liquid a little with the stick once you pour it into the molds and knock the molds down against the counter a few times to get the liquid to fill all the gaps and crevices in between all those solid bits.
I asked my son if he wanted to do only chunks of cherries, or if we should also blend some up with the base, and he voted for blending.
Hey, it’s the best of both worlds!
It was a great addition to the chocolate powder, and made the liquid a really pretty color!
Assembling the sticks for the Zoku molds was super simple – the handle just snaps right into the base. Once you add your ingredients into the molds up to the fill line, you snap the handles into place and pop ’em into the freezer until set – usually at least 8 hours.
This was a super fun summer project for me and my son to work on together, and he’s already excited about making new and unique flavors for our next batch!
I told him we can also make each one a different flavor – it doesn’t all need to be the same stuff! Variety is the spice of life and all that jazz, right?
I like the convenience of having the popsicles individually sealed. You can easily place them all onto a tray or bucket of ice and let them chill out (pun totally intended) until people are ready to eat them.
And bonus points for being reusable! I love finding more and more ways to cut down on kitchen waste (and I have a post in the works on that topic, so stay tuned!).
We will most definitely be making more icy cool treats in the very near future!
The froth from the blending of the powder mixture gave these popsicles a fun layered look. The texture is a little icy, likely from the almond milk, but it didn’t bother us one bit.
The Zoku molds are BPA and phthalate free, and come with little drip guards that work great if your kiddo doesn’t hold his popsicle sideways while he eats it.
Ahem.
I also really liked the sleek design of the piece that holds all of the popsicles in the freezer. I have limited space in my kitchen, and it slid nicely between items in my super-packed freezer with minimal freezer Tetris skills required.
All in all, these Black Forest Popsicles were a huge hit! They’re just as tasty as a black forest cake or a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream without the guilt!
What’s your favorite frozen treat? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Looking for more dessert recipes? Check out some of our favorites:
- Rich Cocoa Brownie Bites
- Elvis-Style Frozen Bananas
- Sweet + Salty Dark Chocolate Clusters
- 5-Ingredient Samoa Cereal Bowls
- Orange Scented Cannoli Dip
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Icing
- Dessert Nachos with Fresh Baked Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
- Tolon’s Strawberry Basil Shortcake
- Cranberry Orange Snickerdoodles
- Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie with a Whole Wheat Crust
- Chocolate Cream Pie with Orange Zested Whipped Cream
- Great Grandma Francesca Cardile’s Cookies
- Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
- Ricotta Cookies
- Grandma’s Christmas Cookies
- Coconut Jelly
Recipe for Black Forest Popsicles
Print
Black Forest Popsicles
- Prep Time: 5 minutes (plus 8+ hours freezer time)
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cool off with these intense chocolate + cherry-studded popsicles! They’re packed with antioxidants + nutrients from over a dozen fruits & veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted, divided
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used these 60% cacao baking chips)
- 1 cups almond milk (I used original flavor)
- 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt
- 2 scoops Barlean’s Chocolate Silk Greens Powder
Instructions
- Place 1/2 cup of the pitted cherries in a blender and roughly chop the remaining 1 cup.
- Divide chopped cherries and chocolate between popsicle molds.
- To the blender, add almond milk, yogurt, and Chocolate Silk Greens Powder and process until smooth. Pour mixture into popsicle molds, up to the fill line on each (you may have some mixture leftover).
- Insert sticks and transfer to the freezer until solid, at least 8 hours.
Notes
It’s helpful to stir the liquid a little with the stick once you pour it into the molds and knock the molds down against the counter a few times to get the liquid to fill all the gaps and crevices in between all those solid bits.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 11.1 g
- Sodium: 41.8 mg
- Fat: 6.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.8 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 3.5 mg
Keywords: black forest, frozen treats, healthy popsicles
Ashley
Ashley Covelli is a food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor based in Ossining, New York. She loves helping people become enthusiastic and adventurous in the kitchen so that they can build skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. She can almost always be found with at least 3 different beverages within arm's reach.
26 Comments
Lori H
Ah yes, the days of Cherry Garcia…I remember them well! This looks like a good healthier alternative. And having fun making them with the kiddo is a great bonus!
Ashley
Such fun times!! This alternative is definitely healthier, and your grandson absolutely LOVES ’em!! 🙂
Kristy Bernardo
Ashley, you always blow everything you do out of the water!! These look incredible. Love how rich they look! I adore the chocolate/cherry combination and will be picking up all the ingredients to make these! Cheers 🙂
Ashley
You are too sweet, Kristy!! I really appreciate the kind words. I hope you love these as much as we did when you give ’em a try!
Anne
Black forest is such a wonderful combination of flavors! I love that you made them healthier, they look delicious.
Ashley
You know, I’m not sure I’ve ever actually had a black forest cake, but I know it’s a classic. I should go try one, you know… for QC purposes 😉
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
I need to make these popsicles ASAP. Cherries and chocolate are my favorite dessert combo. What a wonderful idea to put it into popsicle form!
Ashley
So glad they’re calling your name, Dominique! I think I need more chocolate/cherry combos in my life! Do you have any favorite recipes that use them? I’d love to try ’em out!
Dawn
I love homemade pops! So much better than store bought! I’ve never made a black forest version before. That cake always reminds me of nan. Growing up, she would always have that at special occasions. One of these would be perfect on this sunny day 🙂
Ashley
That’s so wonderful that this brings back those memories. There’s something extra special about recipes from grandma, right?
shobelyn
Love the popsicle mold and the combination of the ingredients. Black Forest cake in popsicle form is a good idea.Love it.
Ashley
Thanks! These molds worked out really well – we’ve used them a LOT since getting them to beat the heat 🙂
Veena Azmanov
I love the combination of chocolate and cherry anything so one of my favorite cakes is the black forest cake. I’m so fascinated with the idea of black forest pops.. Can’t wait to try.
Ashley
Do you have a favorite black forest cake recipe, Veena? I haven’t ever made one but would love to try it out!
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
I love anything black forest!! These popsicles look fabulous and easy! I’ve never used that powder, but I love the sound of it and want to look for it next time I’m at the market! Great recipe!
Ashley
Thanks so much, Elaine! The powder is SO good – it makes really creamy shakes. It’s my favorite of the powdered greens line for sure 🙂
Lorie
One of my favorite cake flavors as apopsicle?! Yep, these are all mine–not sharing any, sorry not sorry! Ha!
Ashley
Looks like I’m gonna have to make another batch. Ha!!
Marisa Franca
What a great idea — adding the additional fiber and nutrients to the popsicles. The whole cherries in them really adds to the treat. Now, I’ve never eaten any Ben and Jerry ice cream. I know, isn’t that terrible? It seems like I’ve always been watching my calories. This treat would be ideal to make for my grandsons — I’ve got the popsicle forms on my wish list.
Ashley
I’m pretty sure there’s a frozen yogurt version of the Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia these days that’s a bit healthier than the ice cream, but it’s still an indulgence for sure. This is an alternative that you wouldn’t have to feel guilty about. I bet your grandsons will love having them as a treat 🙂
Jessica Pinney
Ooo— I’m a cherry fanatic! I’m going to have to try out this recipe in my popsicle molds ASAP!
Jenni LeBaron
I feel like I’ve been living off of popsicles this summer so I’m always interested in another flavor I haven’t tried. These look like a great way to get some fresh fruit and cool off! Love the chocolate added 🙂
Amanda Mason
Yum!! These look good!! And obviously your son loves them!! I bet my kids would love to make these!! Such a great sweet treat!!
Michele
As an ice cream addict, these popsicles would be perfect for me to indulge in with this summer heat. I live in Florida so we are roasting! The cherries look gorgeous right now so I can’t wait to pick some up to try these. LOVING those popsicle molds!