I probably should have titled this post "My Ode to The Fauxmartha." I'm not sure if all of you are aware, but Melissa recently blew up the Internet with her salted Nutella-themed recipes, and I, for one, was smitten. I've made most of them: the salted Nutella buttercream for my friend's bachelorette cake, the Nutella lattes, and then the salted Nutella syrup that I've used to make some homemade iced Nutella lattes, which brought me to this recipe.

This recipe is basically my homemade version of an iced Nutella latte in popsicle form. So on those really hot days when you can't even bring yourself to cobble together an iced latte, just pull one of these puppies out of the freezer. After making the cold brew concentrate, which is mostly hands-off, these come together in about 5 minutes (excluding the freezing/waiting time), and then you have frozen Nutella lattes for a whole week. If you have an espresso machine you could certainly use that in place of the cold-brew, or you could just use some really strong brewed coffee. Just do everything to taste and trust your own judgement. Add more coffee, cream or syrup as needed.

That being said, making cold-brew coffee is the best-tasting way to go when you're dealing with iced coffee. Sometimes if you make hot coffee and then cool it off, it can taste more bitter than you would like. On a side note - used coffee grounds are great for your garden. Just mix some into the soil. I did that a few times while testing this recipe and I think it contributed to bringing some half-dead basil plants back to life. So you get iced coffee, and the garden gets a pick-me-up as well. It's a win-win with zero waste.

If you make these popsicles the way I suggest with the cold-brew concentrate, they are STRONG. If you're like Sini or Melissa and can apparently drink coffee at midnight without any sleeping problems, you'll be fine. But if you're like me and too much caffeine gives you nausea and heart palpitations, tread carefully. One of these in the morning will turn me into a high-energy very productive person. Just warnin' ya.

So you might be wondering, "What's this whole #popsicleweek thang?" The super-loveable Billy of Wit and Vinegar organized this thing for the second year in a row. I am merely one in a group of about 40 bloggers from around the world who are celebrating this event by sharing popsicle recipes with you all week long. Head over to the official page to check out the full list of bloggers who are participating. The kinds of popsicles that these people dream up just blows my mind. And if you're wondering which popsicle mold I have, it's this one.

Photos by Robert Cornelius.
Prints of my illustrations (and other products with my work on them) are available in my Society6 shop.

NUTELLA LATTE POPSICLES

Makes six 4-ounce popsicles

INGREDIENTS

1.25 cups cold brew concentrate (recipe below)
1 cup half and half
⅓ to ½ cup salted Nutella syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Taste, and add more cold brew concentrate, half and half or Nutella syrup depending on your preferences.
Fill your popsicle molds according to their specifications. The ones I use have a "fill line" telling you how high to fill them up. Place the sticks in the molds and put them in the freezer. Let them freeze for about 4-6 hours or overnight.
When ready to eat, run the popsicles under warm water for about 20 seconds until they loosen from the molds. Enjoy!

COLD BREW CONCENTRATE

Makes 1.5 cups concentrate

INGREDIENTS

3.75 oz whole coffee beans
2.25 cups cold water

INSTRUCTIONS

Grind the coffee beans just to a coarse grind. I gave mine 3-4 pulses in my grinder. Place in a large bowl or mason jar and cover with the water. Give it a few stirs.
Cover loosely with a towel or cheesecloth and let it sit out at room temperature overnight, or for about 8-12 hours.
Using a cheesecloth, nut milk bag or fine mesh sieve, strain the beans out of the liquid.
Store in the refrigerator. It should keep for about 1-2 weeks.