Cherry Chocolate Amaretto Creamsicles

Summer is made for fruity deserts.  And ideally not the kind that you have to slave for hours in the kitchen over a hot stove or oven!  If this is your ‘cup of tea’, look no further.

Cherry season has to be my favourite time of the year, and always has been! Growing up in Kelowna, some of my fondest memories included sitting in my grandma’s cherry tree (there was a perfect branch for this, I will always remember it), eating cherries right off of the tree in the lazy summer heat.

Now that I’m older, my love of cherries hasn’t changed a bit.  I was thrilled to partner with BC Tree Fruits to create a simple, delicious cherry recipe that requires barely any work at all.  Because who needs more work in the summer?

Cherries are rich in Vitamin C, potassium, fibre and antioxidants, just another handful of great reasons to indulge.  Speaking of indulging, don’t be tempted to use a low fat yogurt in this recipe. The richness of the full-fat Greek yogurt really makes these creamsicles ‘creamy’.

You’ll need a popsicle form for these.  I used an old-fashioned one but you can also use something fancier like a Zoku pop (they are incredible!).

Makes 6 popsicles

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. pitted ripe BC Tree Fruits Cherries
• 1 1/2c. full-fat (9-10%) cherry Greek yogurt
• 2-3 oz. Amaretto*
• 8 oz good-quality dark chocolate
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Directions:

1. Blend the cherries, yogurt and Amaretto together in a blender until only small bits of cherries remain, approximately 30 seconds.
2. Pour into your popsicle forms and freeze.
3. Once frozen, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or in the microwave (if melting in the microwave, simply microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it is just melted).  Place it in a tall jar or cup that your popsicle will fit into.  Dip each popsicle into the chocolate.  Alternately you can lay your popsicles on a baking rack with parchment underneath and drizzle with the chocolate.  Either serve immediately or place on a sheet of parchment paper and put back in the freezer for up to 1 day.