Cherry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Pops

Cherry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Pops are a creamy, delicious blend of light cream cheese and Greek yogurt, with plenty of juicy, fresh cherry puree.  Now you can enjoy your cheesecake without the guilt!

I had a little problem last month…my 17+ year old garage fridge decided to break on us.  Yup, Old Faithful bit the dust.  It was a good run, but it put my frozen treat making on major hold since I had no space in my kitchen freezer.  I’m happy to say I’m back in business, and will have a deluge of frozen treats coming your way before fall hits.  I’m feeling an ice cream/popsicle spree coming. 🙂

Growing up, I had this thing for cherry pie filling.  I’m talking the canned stuff, because nobody I knew made cherry pies from scratch.  I know I’m big on making things homemade, but if you put a can of that in front of me, I’m sure I’d still eat it.  Childhood memories, you know? 🙂

While I loved cherry pie growing up, it was cherry cheesecake that I loved best, with that canned cherry pie filling all over the top.  I decided to create a low-guilt way for me to enjoy my cherry cheesecake with these pops, complete with fresh, juicy summer cherries.  And it was totally worth pitting 1 1/2 lbs. of cherries!

I have a handy cherry pitter that made this job easier, and the kids can even help out, too, if you have some around!  They’ll be happy to help pit cherries knowing that they’ll be paid in pops.  Mine didn’t happen to be around when I made these, and it really did go quick.  You can bypass this step by purchasing frozen cherries, thawing them out, and tossing them in the blender.  Super simple. 🙂

I pureed the cherries with some maple syrup, then I ran the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the bits of peel.  You can totally leave that in for texture — that’s completely up to you.

These pops were a hit — how could they not be?  Cherries and cheesecake are a match made in heaven, and pops are always a great way to cool off.  Especially when they’re lightened up!  These are creamy, refreshing, and indulgent without weighing you down.  I wish all cherry cheesecake was this way. 🙂

Cherry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Pops

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Cherry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt Pops are a creamy, delicious blend of light cream cheese and Greek yogurt, with plenty of juicy, fresh cherry puree. Now you can have your cheesecake without the guilt!

Author: Flavor the Moments

Serves: 8 pops

Ingredients

For the cherry puree:

• 1½ lbs. fresh cherries
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup or granulated sugar

For the cheesecake filling:

• 8 ounces ⅓ less fat neufchâtel cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%)
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons milk (I used 1%)
• 4-5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Prepare the cherry puree:

1. Remove 8 cherries, stem and pit them, then chop them into large pieces and set aside.
2. Stem and pit the remaining cherries, or use 2 cups of thawed frozen cherries, and place in a blender with the maple syrup. Puree until smooth. Place in a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl and use a spoon to help it through. You'll have about 1 cup of puree. Set aside.

Prepare the cheesecake filling:

1. Beat the cream cheese on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt, milk, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Taste, and add the last tablespoon of sugar if you'd like the filling to be sweeter.

Assemble the pops:

1. Place some cherry puree in (8) popsicle molds, then layer with the cream cheese filling, dropping the chopped cherries into the filling as you go. You can mix them into the filling if desired, but it will turn pink! Continue layering until you're out of filling and puree, and place the sticks in the pops and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. Unmold by running under cold water for 30 seconds, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe by Flavor the Moments.

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