Cabernet Blueberry Cream Cheese Pops

Did you know there’s a national day to celebrate drinking wine? I mean, isn’t that every day? Every February we’re invited to celebrate wine and all of its deliciousness. National Drink Wine Day feels like a good opportunity to call up a group of good friends and pour a glass of your favorite wine. And if you happen to have some wine left in the bottle, consider using it to make this deliciously sweet treat – a cabernet blueberry cream cheese popsicle.

We’re all familiar with how to use wine in our cooking; it’s a great way to add flavor and is helpful in deglazing a pan. Wine in popsicle form is another way to indulge in one of my favorite indulgences. Here’s what I like to do. It starts with making a simple syrup and to do that you “simply” need sugar and water, heated in a saucepan until the sugar has fully dissolved into the water. Once cooled, you’re ready to put this cabernet popsicle together.

I’ll take a pint of blueberries, half a cup of cabernet, and some of my simple sugar and blend it until smooth. Then I’ll make the cream cheese filling, and this is a combination of whipped heavy cream and sugar, and whipped cream cheese, done separately and then folded together for a creamy filling that’s light and sweet.

Now for my popsicle molds. A little bit of my blueberry cabernet puree followed by a layer of my luxuriously creamy filling. I’ll repeat these layers until the mold is filled to the top. Once filled, it’s time for my freezer to do the rest of the work. I put my popsicles into the freezer and patiently wait for my sweet treat to set up.

Just look at how adorable these popsicles are! I just love how the creamy filling makes the deep purple of the blueberry cabernet pop so vibrantly against the whiteness. It may not be a glass of wine, in the conventional sense, but it sure is a fun way to toast National Drink Wine Day! Cheers!