Spicy Maple Lemonade Pops

A cool glass of lemonade is something we start craving right around Memorial Day. We like to sweeten ours with maple syrup because there’s no simple-syrup making necessary, and we like the flavor. But to really cool ourselves off we added a pinch of cayenne to the mix, having once heard that eating spicy foods on hot days can cool you off. (We think it has something to do with inducing a sweat.) Sure, you could just pour this mixture over ice, but we went one step further and froze it into uber-refreshing ice pops you can enjoy all summer long.

spicy-maple-lemonade-pops
Photo by Jennifer Causey
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  • Makes 10
A cool glass of lemonade is something we start craving right around Memorial Day. We like to sweeten ours with maple syrup because there’s no simple-syrup making necessary, and we like the flavor. But to really cool ourselves off we added a pinch of cayenne to the mix, having once heard that eating spicy foods on hot days can cool you off. (We think it has something to do with inducing a sweat.) Sure, you could just pour this mixture over ice, but we went one step further and froze it into uber-refreshing ice pops you can enjoy all summer long.

Ingredients

  1. Check 1½ cups water
  2. Check 1¼ cups lemon juice
  3. Check 1 cup maple syrup
  4. Check ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  5. Check 10-20 fresh red chiles such as Thai bird or Serrano

Directions

  1. Whisk water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne, if using, until syrup dissolves. Divide chiles among ten 3-oz ice pop molds and top with lemon mixture.
  2. Insert sticks and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 1 week. To unmold, dip molds in cold water to soften very slightly and remove pops. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and keep in the freezer until just before serving.

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