Yes, it was -2˚ here yesterday. We do not care. As far as my kids and I are concerned, sometimes you just need a popsicle. We have been going through blood oranges like they are going out of style, or more accurately, going out of their all too brief season. So, we made them into popsicles. Their gorgeous red-pink hue is precisely the pop of color we all so need this time of year.

Popsicle recipes are generally quite simple but that didn’t stop me from testing several variations of blood orange pops. Plain unsweetened blood orange juice proved just a bit too tart for our taste, not to mention they are quite icy that way. Next I tried my hand at a creamsicle-ish variation that, while tasty, didn’t have quite the texture or look I was hoping for. Finally I went back to basics and used blood orange juice combined with just a bit of vanilla bean simple syrup. And wouldn’t you know it, that vanilla syrup gave them the right sweetness, texture, and made them reminiscent of creamsicles. Now go huddle together under a comforter while you enjoy them.