Agave Nectar Fruit Pops

It's the dreaded June Gloom here in Santa Barbara and although it's not officially Summer until June 21st, it didn't stop me from making some refreshing fruit popsicles for the kids.

Agave Nectar has been my new go-to sweetener these days. I love the light taste and I also love how it dissolves so quickly into recipes; especially cocktails : )

This recipe couldn't be simpler. I used raspberries and pineapple, but feel free to substitute with whatever fruit your heart desires! Here's what you'll need:

• At least 2 kinds of fruit (one will be used for the puree and the other(s) you will leave in small chunks)
• 1/2 cup water
• Agave Nectar
• Popsicle mold (or you can use any other small vesicle like Dixie cups). 
• Popsicle sticks

1. Take 2 pints of raspberries, 1/2 cup of water and Agave Nectar (measured to your ideal of sweetness) and bring to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan. 
2. Cool slightly and add to blender. Puree until smooth. I have a Vitamix that I LOVE. I think it purees better than a regular blender or food processor.
3. At this point, I guess you could strain this puree to avoid the raspberry seeds. But I actually like the look of the seeds so I skipped this step.
4. Add a couple of pieces of fresh pineapple (cut into small chunks) to your popsicle mold. 
5. Fill mold half way with raspberry puree, drop in more pineapple then finish off with puree. 
6. Secure the lid, add your sticks and transfer to freezer. If you don't use a type of mold with a lid, make sure to secure your popsicle sticks by using plastic wrap or foil as the cover with the sticks poking out.
7. To un-mold, dip tray into warm water for a few seconds. If using Dixie cups, you can just peel away the paper.

I think I need to invest in some cuter molds. Maybe star shaped or the classic missile shape.

Find some cute kids to be your taste testers. I happened to have these two hanging around ; )

 Next time, maybe I'll choose a fruit that's not red...if you know what I mean!