by Cal Virgilio

Though I love eating granola, I have never been the biggest fan of yogurt. Each morning, I eat our cherry almond granola for breakfast with milk. Yes, I know I’m in the minority of the granola-eating world. But when I came across a recipe for Greek Yogurt Popsicles on Dessert For Two’s blog, I thought that maybe this could be the way I finally enjoy yogurt. I had to give this recipe a try, but with one additional ingredient: granola!

The granola ended up being a great addition to these pops. I used our all-natural honey pecan granola, and the flavor shined through just as it does when you pair our granola with yogurt in a parfait.

The recipe for the most part is very simple, but a few tips before starting.

1. Use whole milk Greek yogurt. For my popsicles, I experimented with both whole milk and 2 percent greek yogurt. The whole milk yogurt was much creamier when frozen, whereas the 2 percent was more icy in texture. Though you can use any brand yogurt, I went with Fage and the flavor paired great with our honey pecan granola.
2. Use both honey and vanilla to sweeten. Though Dessert For Two’s recipe calls for agave, I used honey as a sweetener, since I would be using our honey pecan granola in the popsicles. I also added  some pure vanilla extract to the yogurt, which gave a natural vanilla flavor to the pops.
3. Roast the fruit: Sure, you can just add fresh fruit to these pops, but roasting will enhance the flavor and also give some added juices to the yogurt. I used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries in my pops, but any fruit mixture will do!

Greek Yogurt & Granola Popsicles with Roasted Fruit

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 3-4 popsicles, depending on popsicle mold size

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of plain Greek yogurt, such as Fage Yogurt
• 1 cup of sliced fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, etc.
• 1/2 cup Granola Factory granola (I used honey pecan)
• 2-3 tablespoons of honey.
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract.
• 2 tsp. neutral flavored oil, such as canola
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar

Other Equipment needed: Popsicle Molds

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile slice fruit and place on parchment-line tray. Drizzle fruit with the oil and sugar and toss to combine. Roast for 20 minutes and then let cool to room temperature.

Once the fruit is cooled. Combine the Greek yogurt with the vanilla and honey. Stir well to combine. Add a small amount of yogurt to the popsicle mold. Then, layer in granola, then yogurt, then fruit and so on, until the molds are full. Add popsicle sticks to the molds and place in freezer until frozen.