This basil creamsicle recipe is a fun way to spice up your summer popsicles.

Shanna kindly offered to guest post this week while our family is moving. I’ve admired Shanna’s blog, Food Loves Writing, for many years. Her writing is heartfelt and her recipes are simple and nutritious. Make sure and check out her blog, I think you’ll love it as much as I do!

As adults, this summer vacation period we’re about to enter may not carry the exact same magic that it did in elementary school, but, still, there’s no denying that this hot and sunny season is pretty sweet. Summer means longer days, more light, beautiful flowers, bountiful produce—and that’s especially true if you’re moving from California to Florida, like our girl Carrie here! I’m so honored to be posting on her site today while she’s in the midst of transitioning from one end of the country to the other. Like you guys, I love Deliciously Organic. This site is the first one I recommend to friends who are going gluten or grain-free or who are looking for trustworthy, real-food-focused recipes of any kind. I have such high respect for Carrie’s choices of ingredients, and everything I’ve ever made from this site has turned out well. Carrie, thank you so much for letting me share in your space!

So here we are, mid-May, and signs of summer are everywhere. In Nashville, where my husband, Tim, and I live, the bright red tulips popped up in our front yard weeks ago. We hear the sound of lawnmowers almost every day. Neighborhood farmers’ markets are back in motion, and our CSA deliveries start at the end of the month. But to us, nothing screams summer quite as loudly as that wonderfully fragrant herb basil—except, that is, basil in creamsicle form.

Tim and I first tried these creamsicles last summer, back when we were just putting the wheels in motion for upcoming ebook. Designed to tell the story of how our blog started and how it brought us together, “Written Together: A Story of Beginnings, in the Kitchen and Beyond”  is a short Kindle book (also available in a printed version) you can read in maybe an hour or two. It begins where the blog did, with me as a copywriter working in the Chicago suburbs, looking for a way to pursue writing and cooking and creative work. Then, over the course of less than 100 pages, it continues the narrative of how a stranger in Nashville emailed me about a book he thought I’d like—and how that stranger became the love of my life.

From the first day we met, Tim and I knew we shared a love of food. He’d grown up in a home with salads at every dinner and social gatherings centered on food; I’d grown up in a family where few things were more important than what was for dinner next. His Italian grandma gave him a love for green beans covered with sauce; my Italian grandma taught me to bake cookies when I was old enough to pop chocolate chips. And while we don’t agree on everything, tastes-wise, we’ve always agreed on this: when it comes to cooking, the more basil the better.

While basil is traditionally paired with tomatoes, in this recipe, it’s blended with yogurt, honey and orange juice to create some of the sweetest, most summery creamsicles you’ve ever had. Every time I have one, I think of my mom’s summer garden and eating al fresco and Neapolitan-style pizzas topped with mozzarella and sauce. But mostly, I think of summer–this sweet, sweet time of year when evenings are as made for popsicles as, I like to think, Tim was made for me and I, for him.

Basil Creamsicle

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Makes just over 10 three-ounce popsicles, like in this mold. This recipe is doubled from the version published in our ebook, “Written Together: A Story of Beginnings, in the Kitchen and Beyond”. For more information on the book, including a video trailer my brother made, go to FoodLovesWriting.com/ebook.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Category: Dessert
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM

For the Popsicles:

• 2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup plain organic yogurt (you can use whole milk, coconut, almond, etc.)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 10 big leaves of fresh basil, torn

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Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender, and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds, put on cover and stick in freezer for about 20 minutes. After the mold has had a little time to set, insert popsicle sticks, being careful not to shove them all the way down (this will make them easier to enjoy when done). Freeze until firm.

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