Lemon buttermilk ice pops taste similar to lemon cheesecake on a stick. The perfect summertime treat or dessert!!!

Since beginning my journey into making ice pops, I’m having a great time experimenting with new flavors. Our two favorites so far both contain buttermilk. This recipe for buttermilk pops is a winner, as is today’s recipe. For those of you who might think buttermilk can’t be yummy, these pops will change your mind!  (And if you think your kids will turn up their noses at the mere mention of buttermilk, just don’t use the word. They’ll never know the difference!)

The plain buttermilk pops are similar in flavor to cheesecake–rich and creamy. The lemon-buttermilk pops are also rich, but the fresh lemon juice & zest add a tartness that perfectly balances the sweet. If you want creamy and sweet, go with the buttermilk pops. If you want creamy, sweet, and tangy/tart, try the lemon-buttermilk pops.

The truest taste tests come from kids. Mine gave a thumbs up to both of these buttermilk pops but seemed to be a bit partial to the lemon version. The buttermilk pops have heavy cream and much more sugar, so they are much more decadent and not as waistline friendly. The lemon-buttermilk pops are just as delicious but are much lower in fat and sugar. They really do offer a huge flavor burst with virtually no guilt.

If you decide to start experimenting with frozen pops, here are a few simple tips that I’ve learned along the way.

• Sugar syrup is the basis for all pops, and I make a 2 cup batch to keep in the fridge to pull out whenever I want to make pops. I use organic cane sugar (found in the sugar aisle), but regular will work fine. Sugar syrup is simply equal parts sugar and water, boiled into a syrup. If a recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar, simply use 3/4 cup sugar syrup.
• Real vanilla bean makes sugar syrup perfect for creamy pops. After boiling the sugar water, simply cut a bean and scrape the contents into the syrup. This infuses the syrup with vanilla flavor and adds the black specks that look so wonderful against the creamy pops. 
• For buttermilk pops, I use Friendship 1.5% fat buttermilk. It has just enough fat to make these pops rich and creamy.
• One of the most popular and highly rated ice pop molds is this Norpro Ice Pop Maker. It is inexpensive and does a great job of making perfect pops (and is BPA free).
• Popsicle sticks can be purchased on amazon for roughly the same as in craft stores (unless you have a 40% coupon for the craft store).
• Parchment paper, cut into squares, is perfect for laying between pops to keep them from sticking together. A gallon freezer bag is perfect for storing pops.
• Once pops are frozen and removed from the mold, it is good to lay them on a cookie sheet and freeze them for another half hour or so to “firm them up” before putting them in a storage bag. They melt slightly when being removed from the mold and need to be frozen just a bit longer so that they’ll be solid.

 

The sugar syrup is dark, but it doesn’t affect the color of the pops. I keep it in the fridge in this glass container with lid.

I ended up needing only 2 of these lemons for this recipe. Although I haven’t tried it, I’ll bet limes could be substituted for lemons with great results. If anyone tries this, let me know how it turns out!

I’d love to hear your comments if you try these or if you have any of your own ice pop recipes to share! Thanks so much for stopping by! Be blessed, and stay savvy!!!