Watermelon Pineapple Paletas

It's #paletaweek over on Lola's Cocina and a bunch of us have come together to fill your feeds with deliciousness, and I am checking it off my 20 Things to Do in Summer.  These watermelon pineapple paletas were inspired by my husband's agua fresca, and I promise they will not disappoint. 

Ingredients: 

1/4 of a large watermelon chopped

1/2 of a pineapple chopped 

1 cup lemonade or water
*sweeten if necessary

1. Chop up all your fruit. Also, finely chop some extra pineapple and set aside.  This will be used as the first layer of your paleta. 

2. Add watermelon, pineapple and 1 cup of lemonade to the blender and blend. I like the watermelon flavor to be more prevalent, so added a little more watermelon as needed. *You can also add any sweetner of your choose. 

3. Spoon in the finely chopped pineapple you set aside into the molds.  Then place them in the freezer in order for the first layer to set. 

4.  Once the first layer of pineapple has hardened take the molds out of the freezer and pour in your watermelon pineapple mixture. Then put them back in the freezer for a few hours. 

5. Once the paletas are ready you can leave them on the counter for a few mins or run the molds under warm water to get them out. 

Now all you have to do is enjoy the taste of summer! 

Cochata Paletas (Coffee + Horchata)

Summer is officially here which means it is paleta season.  I have teamed up with my friend and fellow blogger, Lola's Cocina, and I promise this coffee based popsicle will not disappoint.  It is perfect for a mid-afternoon pick me up. 

Cochata Paletas 

1 cup cold brew coffee

1.5 cups horchata 

2 cinnamon sticks 

2 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 tbsp of vanilla syrup 

I make my own cold brew by soaking coffee grounds overnight, straining it and I keep it in a mason jar, but lucky for all of us, there are plenty of cold brew coffee options out there.  Stok unsweetened cold brew is my favorite.  

The next main ingredient is horchata.  Here is Lola's recipe for horchata. Homemade is definitely best, but as with the coffee there are quick options as well.  You can purchase a mix like this one.  

Preparation:

In a pitcher, add 1 cup of cold brew coffee, 1.5 cups of horchata, 1 tbsp of vanilla syrup, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and stir well.  Then add two cinnamon sticks, and you can let it sit for up to an hour so all the flavors meld together.  

Now it is time to fill your molds.  I used these from Ikea, and opted for traditional wood popsicle sticks.  Partially fill your mold with the cochata mixture about 3/4 of the way.  This will leave room to finish off with horchata and a dash of cinnamon.  Place in freezer for an hour or two (or until partially frozen).  

Then pour in some horchata to fill your mold, add your popsicle sticks, a dash of cinnamon on each, and return to the freezer.  I left mine overnight, but I am sure if you make these in the morning they will be ready by the afternoon. 

Enjoy! If you have a favorite paleta, please share.