Italian Ice Pops

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 12 to 14 pops

1 (12-ounce) bag or 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, defrosted
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
3 or 4 tablespoons simple syrup, recipe follows
14 wooden ice pop sticks

In a blender, combine the raspberries and the mint. Puree until
combined. Add the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the simple syrup.
Blend to combine. Taste the mixture and add the remaining 1 tablespoon
simple syrup if you like. Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray and
freeze for approximately 30 minutes, or until partially frozen. Insert
the wooden sticks and return trays to the freezer for another 3 to 5
hours.

Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has
dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled
syrup can be saved in an airtight container.

Yield: 1/2 cup