Fresh Mint, Rose and Green Tea Popsicles (a.k.a Iced Lollies)

What do you call these iced treats? Popsicles? Lollies? I’ve always called them lollies. Maybe it’s a British thing? I’m pretty sure lollies are something else in Australia. Maybe in America too? Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me referring to them as lollies in this post as I feel a bit weird calling them anything else.  I don’t think I’ve ever said the word ‘popsicle’ out loud. What a funny word!

It might seem a little strange posting a recipe for iced treats now that we’re in September, but after a cloudy, rainy August here in Bath, I’m hoping we’ll get to experience an Indian summer. Now wouldn’t that be nice?

However regardless of the weather, I’m still enjoying *lollies* right now, especially after my hot morning run.  I especially loved home-made lollies as I find the shop-bought ones tend to be too sugary-sweet for me. Plus, when you make your own, you can be creative and experiment with all different kinds of flavour combinations.

Recently I was invited to take part in the Brita Frozen Tea Challenge. The idea was to send the participants some goodies and challenge them to create a recipe for an iced tea lolly. This is a challenge that I was definitely up for!

The inspiration for my lolly creation was a mint and rose tea that I enjoyed recently at a Lebanese restaurant. It was a mix of green tea, fresh mint, rose water and sugar. It was such a beautiful flavour combination! While I drank the tea warm at the restaurant, I could just imagine how well it would work as an iced tea or maybe even frozen in lolly form. Well, we’d soon find out!

In my experience, iced teas tend to have a delicate, subtle flavour, and this is something that I wanted to ensure I carried through into the lolly. I first steeped fresh mint leaves and green tea in hot water, then played around with different quantities of rose water and sweetener. After an initial taste testing, I decided to add coconut milk into the mix, which helped to round off the flavours beautifully.

The lolly making didn’t take much time at all. The hardest part was waiting the 5+ hours until they were frozen so I could give them a taste.

And the verdict? I absolutely loved them! The flavours worked even better in frozen form than I’d imagined. As you bite in, it’s the fresh mint that hits your palate first, followed by the subtle favours of rose and green tea. The coconut milk adds a touch of milky/creaminess to the lolly without any strong coconut flavour.

Since I’ve been home from France, I’ve made three batches of these lollies, and I’m especially enjoying them as a quick, refreshing way to cool down after my hot morning runs (I always get so hot when I run, regardless of the outside temperature!) No doubt I’ll be enjoying these lollies for many more weeks to come… especially if we get that Indian summer!

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Makes: 6
Hands on time: 5 minutes    Ready in: 5 hours

Ingredients
250ml / 1 cup freshly boiled water
10g / small bunch of fresh mint leaves, rinsed
1 green tea bag
400ml / 14 oz can coconut milk
2 tsp rose water, or to taste
1 tsp maple syrup or other liquid sweetener

Method
1  Place the mint in a large mug. Add the hot water. Press down on the mint leaves with a spoon to help release their flavour. Add the green tea bag and leave to steep for 5 minutes.

2  Meanwhile, pour the coconut milk into a large jug. Whisk until smooth.

3  Remove the tea bag, then tip the contents of the mug (water and mint leaves) into the jug with the coconut milk. Press down on the mint leaves again, either using a spoon or bash them with the end of a rolling pin to release more flavour.

4  Rose water can vary immensely in strength, so start with 1 tsp. Stir through and taste test. Add another teaspoon if needed. You want the rose flavour to be subtle, not overpowering. I used Nielsen-Massey Rose Water and found that 2 teaspoons was sufficient.

5  Stir in 1 tsp maple syrup, or to taste.

6  Pour the liquid into the lolly moulds. You may want to strain it first to remove the mint leaves, but I find it easy enough to pour the liquid and avoid the leaves, as they tend to settle at the bottom of the jug.

7  Freeze until solid (about 5 hours). To remove the lolly from the mould, run it under a hot tap for a few seconds then give it a wiggle.

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Big thank you to BRITA for inviting me to take part in this challenge. It’s been really fun! Thank you also to Brita for sending me some lovely goodies – Morphy Richards Brita Accents Brita Filter Kettle (great for those who live in a hard water area like I do!), a selection of Birchall teas and lolly moulds).

 

Do you enjoy lollies/popsicles? If so, I’d love to hear about your favourite flavours. If you’ve posted any recipes online, please do share the link below. I’d love to check them out!

2 thoughts on “Fresh Mint, Rose and Green Tea Popsicles (a.k.a Iced Lollies)

  1. I’d never thought of making herbal tea into lollies before. What a great idea. I’m going to try mint leaves and orange essence (which I bought to make French madeleines). Usually I pour leftover fruit smoothie mix into lolly mounds but I think this would be a great alternative. Thanks Sharon!

    1. Loving your creativity! I’ve never had mint and orange together so I’m intrigued to know what it tastes like. Will definitely have to give it a try 😀

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