berry – FoodWatcher

This New Strawberry Is Yellow & Tastes Like Pineapples

Last year, as early summer fruits rolled out in grocery stores, aesthetic-minded shoppers got excited about the new rosé strawberries, a beautiful pink ombre version of the classic bright red fruit. This year, the same berry producer is bringing those …

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The Tropical Bliss berry is light yellow, with a tropical punch flavor, according to Driscoll’s, the company that developed and produces them. Eaters will taste pineapple and passionfruit notes, they claim, and that the berries are “intensely sweet at first, balanced by a refreshing finish.” But if last year’s rosé berry trend is any indication, what people love most about these berries is how good they look on camera – though the yellow Tropical Bliss are less instantly eye catching, they do offer another option for making rainbow-hued fruit boards (for the camera or to impress your friends).

It’s Blueberry Season, Baby! Here’s How to Store Them.

Don’t judge me for getting excited about blueberries. I know they’re generally available in the supermarket year-round, but don’t you dare judge me for being extra-excited come late spring, early summer. Because that’s when fresh blue…

Don’t judge me for getting excited about blueberries. I know they're generally available in the supermarket year-round, but don’t you dare judge me for being extra-excited come late spring, early summer. Because that’s when fresh blueberries are at their best. You can drive up to any roadside farm stand or scour local farmers markets and easily stock up on pints of the brightest, plumpest, and absolute sweetest blueberries. (Though, in my opinion, in addition to farmers markets, blueberries deserve to be displayed at a precious gems and minerals showcase.)

Regardless of where you buy them, once you bring them home, these petite berries need to be handled with care. And because I care about you and your fruit, here’s how to pick and store fresh blueberries.

Strawberry Lemonade

This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe is easy with the best sweet tart flavor! It’s quick to mix up a big…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe is easy with the best sweet tart flavor! It’s quick to mix up a big pitcher that’s deliciously festive.

Got fresh strawberries? Here’s one of the best ways to use them…a pitcher of homemade Strawberry Lemonade! This drink is bright and beautiful, citrusy with a hit of berry on the finish. It tastes infinitely better made at home: the flavors are brilliantly fresh. This one has become a favorite over here as a summery drink (if we’re not making the shortcut pink lemonade, of course!). This recipe is fast and easy: you don’t even need to cook down a syrup! Simply blend and go.

Ingredients for strawberry lemonade

This strawberry lemonade recipe skips making a strawberry syrup on the stovetop, and goes right to the blender. All you’ll need to do is blend berries and sugar, then mix it with lemon juice to form lemonade. Easy as that! In fact, you only need three real ingredients (plus water):

Strawberries
Lemons
Sugar

Use the best ripe berries

It might go without saying, but this strawberry lemonade is best with beautifully ripe strawberries. These days, it’s easy to find strawberries out of season: and their flavor is tart and bland. Make sure you find ripe fruit, because no amount of sugar can save an unripe berry! Bonus points if you’ve got a pint of berries from a local farmers market.

How to make strawberry lemonade (basic steps)

Once you’ve got your ingredients, there are just a few basic steps for strawberry lemonade. Here’s all you need to do (or jump to the recipe below for the exact quantities):

Juice the lemons. The only time consuming part is this! We recommend using a press juicer, which is the quickest, gets out the most juice and saves your hands. The next best choice? A handheld citrus juicer.
Blend the strawberries, sugar and water. Give it a whiz in the blender.
Mix the pitcher. Then mix it in a pitcher with the lemon juice and more cold water. Garnish with ice and mint if you like!

Serving in a pitcher with ice? Reduce the water

Are you planning to make this strawberry lemonade for a party, leaving it out in a big pitcher with ice? The ice melts over time, which can dilute the drink. If you think it might sit out for quite a while, you can reduce the cold water you add at the end to account for dilution.

But if you’re planning to serve it right away, there’s no need! Simply follow the recipe below.

Variations on strawberry lemonade

There are so many tasty ways to mix up this drink! Here are a few ideas:

Sparkling lemonade: Stir in 4 cups soda water instead of cold water.
Spiked lemonade: By the glass, serve 1 cup of this strawberry lemonade with ¼ cup vodka or 3 tablespoons gin.
Arnold Palmer: Make a Strawberry Arnold Palmer by mixing 6 tablespoons lemonade with 1 cup iced tea.

More strawberry recipes

Got berries? We’ve got lots of strawberry recipes to make the most of the season! Here are a few more tasty recipes with this delicious berry:

Try delicious Strawberry Muffins with a cream cheese swirl
Make a cozy Strawberry Crumble
Wake up with Strawberry Waffles
Go for Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Best-Ever Strawberry Muffins

Classic Strawberry Crumble

Strawberry Waffles

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

This strawberry lemonade recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Easy Strawberry Lemonade

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 8 drinks
Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe is easy with the best sweet tart flavor! It’s quick to mix up a big pitcher that’s deliciously festive.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (7 to 8 large lemons)
1 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces fresh strawberries, stems removed
6 cups water, divided
Ice and fresh mint, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Juice the lemons.
Add the strawberries, sugar and 2 cups warm water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh sieve into pitcher, using a spatula to push the liquid through (discard the seeds; this takes a few minutes to complete).
Add 4 cups* cold water and the fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add ice to the pitcher and serve. If desired, garnish with extra strawberries and fresh mint sprigs.

Notes

*If you plan to serve in a large pitcher with ice and leave it out at a party, use 3 cups water to account for ice melting and diluting the drink.

Category: Drink
Method: Lemonade
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Strawberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade recipe

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Triple Berry Trifle with Raspberry Sauce.

This triple berry trifle is the most festive red, white and blue dessert for the summer season! Made with buttery pound cake, vanilla pudding, summer berries and a delicious raspberry sauce, it’s a red white and blue delight! There’s nothing I love more than a summer fruit trifle! Could it BE any more delicious? Buttery […]

The post Triple Berry Trifle with Raspberry Sauce. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

There’s nothing I love more than a summer fruit trifle!

triple berry trifle with raspberry sauce

Could it BE any more delicious? Buttery cake and fluffy cloud-like pudding and sweet, fresh berries. Adore it.

strawberries, blueberries, raspberries

I am such a huge huge fan of a trifle – they taste so wonderfully 90s in the best way possible. My mom always made the “city girl trifle” when I was growing up and we LOVED it. She would use all sorts of fruit – peaches, bananas, mandarin oranges, etc – and it was such a hit.

Oh and get this – the classic city girl trifle uses pudding mix combined with sour cream – we tried that and it’s definitely interesting. It’s good, but I find it to be a bit heavier than classic pudding.

red white and blue berry trifle

Last year I made this strawberry shortcake trifle and it’s absolutely incredible. This is somewhat of the same thing, just with more berries, and layered in a festive patriotic way for the 4th of July!

It’s so fun!

I also made a raspberry sauce to be layered with the cake, fruit and pudding. It may just be the best part, and I’m not even a huge fan of raspberries!

poundcake and vanilla pudding with berries

When it comes to a trifle, I find that you can definitely take shortcuts.

The semi-homemade route, if you will. I don’t think it’s worth it to make your own pound cake from scratch when you can find some super buttery, delicious pound cake to chop up for the trifle. You know? That becomes so much unnecessary work, especially when we’re just going to blanket the cake with fluffy pudding and fruit and whipped cream.

triple berry trifle with raspberry sauce

I even take this approach when it comes to the pudding sometimes! Last year, I showed you how to make the trifle with homemade vanilla bean pudding. That pudding is so fantastic – so fluffy and cloud-like but rich at the same time.

red white and blue berry trifle with raspberry sauce

However!

You can totally use a boxed vanilla pudding – my mom ALWAYS has – and use that for the layers too. Or even a flavor like coconut pudding… wowza.

I’d say that half the time I make my own pudding, then the other half I do boxed. It depends on what else I have to prepare for the day and how much time I have. Both are equally delicious. My homemade version is just a bit more vanilla-y!

drizzle raspberry sauce on trifle

Perhaps my favorite part about a trifle, especially a red, white and blue one, is that you can just layer things however you wish. There is no need to be fancy here because once it’s all layered, it will look festive and fun. The key is to get a bit of fruit, cake, pudding and whipped cream in each and every bite!

triple berry trifle with raspberry sauce

When it comes to the raspberry sauce, I like to use it in the layers mostly on top of the cake. It kind of soaks into the cake too and creates a raspberry cake which is incredible. You can also save the raspberry sauce for the end and only use it when serving the trifle. (more…)

The post Triple Berry Trifle with Raspberry Sauce. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Mini Red White and Blue Berry Hand Pies.

These red white and blue berry hand pies are such a fun and festive treat for the summer holiday season! Perfect served warm with melty vanilla ice and extra berry sauce. We’re getting festive today with the cutest little berry hand pies! These warm little pockets of love are bursting with summer berry flavor, and […]

The post Mini Red White and Blue Berry Hand Pies. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

These red white and blue berry hand pies are such a fun and festive treat for the summer holiday season! Perfect served warm with melty vanilla ice and extra berry sauce.

We’re getting festive today with the cutest little berry hand pies!

red white and blue berry hand pies

These warm little pockets of love are bursting with summer berry flavor, and when served warm with vanilla bean ice cream? It’s like the best classic dessert for the summer holiday. I adore them.

pie dough with fruit filling

You know that ever since having kids, I’ve become allll about the festive and fun foods around holidays. Even if it’s just a quick one day micro-holiday, I love making it special and exciting with a festive treat of some sort. The kids love it and it’s one of the things I want them to remember about growing up – how we made fun treats around the holidays.

Enter these adorable red white and blue hand pies!

pie dough with berry filling

A few years ago I made these little peach hand pies and they are something I look forward to every summer. They are SO incredibly delicious. The perfect combo of sweet fruit and flakey pastry. I use mother lovett’s pie crust and cut it into circles, then blanket some warm and saucy peaches in between.

Bake until golden and crunchy, then serve with lots of vanilla ice cream.

YES.

red white and blue berry hand pies

If you love peaches, it’s a lovely way to use them in the warmer months. So I knew that we could make red, white and blue happen too.

red white and blue berry hand pies

To make the red and blue versions, I use strawberries and blueberries. You could use raspberries too, I’m just partial to strawberries! Since this can be a little high maintenance with two fruits and all, you could also use one or the other OR mix them (though they will turn purple-y, ha!) and make double berry hand pies. The berries are forgiving and create a wonderful sauce for the crust.

Oh and of course, the “white” is our vanilla ice cream.

red white and blue berry hand pies

They are the cutest things ever!

red white and blue berry hand pies

You will most likely have some berry filling leftover, and I like to do that on purpose. You can use it warm or cold to serve with the hand pies and ice cream, like an additional topping. Especially since the fruit inside is fairly minimal! This way, if you’re a fruit lover, you can scoop some extra right on top. (more…)

The post Mini Red White and Blue Berry Hand Pies. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Triple Berry Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I live for a festive red, white and blue dessert! This triple berry sheet cake is the perfect red, white and blue cake to kick off the summer! Top with fluffy, dreamy cream cheese frosting and an assortment of berries for the most delicious treat. This triple berry sheet cake is making me so happy! […]

The post Triple Berry Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

This triple berry sheet cake is making me so happy! Summer is almost here.

triple berry sheet cake with cream cheese frosting

I’ve mentioned before how I never got into festive foods or even decorations, until I had kids! Now that I have little ones, I want to decorate alllll the things with holiday or seasonal colors and flair.

Especially food! Give me all the red, white and blues.

strawberries, blueberries and raspberries

There’s nothing more summery to kick off this first unofficial weekend – a red, white and blue sheet cake!

My sheet cake love knows no bounds. Yes, I don’t love to bake (or follow the rules) but I love a good sheet cake.

My pumpkin dream cake is literally a dream. My banana sheet cake with coffee frosting is insane… now I want to make that this weekend. My chocolate zucchini sheet cake is perfect for snacking.

vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting

I just love how good and easy a sheet cake is. Especially when it’s blanketed with a fluffy layer of cream cheese frosting!

I mean… look at that.

triple berry sheet cake with cream cheese frosting

A few weeks ago, I grabbed a cake for someone’s birthday and it totally inspired this cake. That cake was more almond-based but it was covered in the most delicious fresh fruit. The soft and tender cake combined with the juicy fruit was just SO amazing.

I’m sure it’s because we are on the brink of summer and fruit tastes so good right now, but that cake was on another level.

triple berry sheet cake with cream cheese frosting

So I knew I had to create something like it! This is just a simple vanilla-ish sheet cake with a slight hint of almond. I still haven’t lost my obsession with cream cheese frosting, so that’s what goes on top. It makes ALL cakes taste better. It’s creamy and tangy and thick and delicious.

Then, add all the berries! Our local strawberries are just starting to come in right now – so juicy and sweet that they taste like actual candy.

The fresh berries combined with the sweet frosting and fluffy cake…

oh my gosh.

(more…)

The post Triple Berry Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Classic Blackberry Crisp

This blackberry crisp recipe (aka blackberry crumble) has a crunchy oat topping and sweet berry filling. It’s the best way to end a summer meal! What’s better than a sweet berry crisp on a summer evening? There’s something this simple dessert that’s quintessential summer, the perfect ending to a shrimp boil or grilled meal. Here’s our best nostalgic Blackberry Crisp recipe, aka the Blackberry Crumble! It’s just sweet enough, filled with sweet berries with a hint of orange and vanilla, and a crunchy oat crumble topping. Even better: you can make it with fresh or frozen berries! Use it with fresh summer berries from the market, or try it with the frozen variety. Ready to get baking? Elements in this blackberry crisp (aka crumble) This blackberry crisp (aka blackberry crumble) is easy to make, and it has several great features that take it from good to great. Here’s what to know about baking up this sweet berry dessert: You can use fresh or frozen berries! Fresh blackberries can be expensive, so frozen is a great economical option. Keep in mind fresh berries are slightly sweeter than frozen. The filling features orange zest and vanilla for next level flavor. These make the berry […]

A Couple Cooks – Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

This blackberry crisp recipe (aka blackberry crumble) has a crunchy oat topping and sweet berry filling. It’s the best way to end a summer meal!

What’s better than a sweet berry crisp on a summer evening? There’s something this simple dessert that’s quintessential summer, the perfect ending to a shrimp boil or grilled meal. Here’s our best nostalgic Blackberry Crisp recipe, aka the Blackberry Crumble! It’s just sweet enough, filled with sweet berries with a hint of orange and vanilla, and a crunchy oat crumble topping. Even better: you can make it with fresh or frozen berries! Use it with fresh summer berries from the market, or try it with the frozen variety. Ready to get baking?

Elements in this blackberry crisp (aka crumble)

This blackberry crisp (aka blackberry crumble) is easy to make, and it has several great features that take it from good to great. Here’s what to know about baking up this sweet berry dessert:

You can use fresh or frozen berries! Fresh blackberries can be expensive, so frozen is a great economical option. Keep in mind fresh berries are slightly sweeter than frozen.
The filling features orange zest and vanilla for next level flavor. These make the berry flavor pop and add nuance! Take one bite and you’ll be amazed.
The crumble is easy to customize to various diets. It’s got butter and flour, but there are easy swaps to make it vegan and gluten free (see below).
Pecans and cinnamon are a must! These texture and flavor elements round out the crunchy crumble.

What’s the difference between a crisp and crumble, anyway?

Well, it’s matter of terminology. There was originally a difference between a blackberry crisp and a blackberry crumble. A crisp had oats, whereas a crumble did not (per The Kitchn). So, the crisp topping was crunchier because of the oats!

Today sometimes in the US people are specific about terms, but the difference has really faded over time. You can use either one interchangeably! In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the term “crumble” is used to encompass both types of desserts.

Mix the layers, then bake until golden brown

The great thing about a blackberry crumble or crisp? There’s no technique involved. Mix the berries and filling ingredients, mix the topping, layer and bake! Easy as that. Here are a few tips to this process:

Run frozen berries under warm water. If you’re using frozen berries, this partially thaws them. They don’t need to be fully thawed before baking.
Bake time varies based on your oven, baking dish, and berries! Simply bake until golden brown. The bake time will be different every time depending on those variables. Our recipe testers had bake times between 30 minutes and 1 hour, though for most it was around 50 minutes.
If it’s not golden, keep going! You’re looking for that golden hue. If the oats look pale, keep going.

Make a vegan or gluten free blackberry crisp

This recipe is very customizable to various diets and preferences. Here are a few substitutes that work just as well as the original recipe:

Gluten free crisp: use almond flour. Almond flour works perfectly as a substitute for flour in a crisp or crumble recipe. In fact, it becomes even crispier!
Vegan crisp: use vegan butter or coconut oil. Vegan butter is best for the crispiest texture; coconut oil also works.
Other sugars also work! Prefer coconut sugar? That works too. Using maple syrup makes for a softer crisp topping because it adds liquid. If you’re ok with a softer crisp topping, you can use it: but we prefer sugar here for the correct texture.
Use more orange zest. For a blackberry orange crumble, double the orange zest! It’s deliciously citrusy.

Other variations: berry crisp, peach blackberry crisp, etc!

Other ways to vary a blackberry crumble: change up the berries! There are lots of ways to flex this recipe, depending on the fruit you have on hand. Here are some ideas:

Mixed berry crisp: Use fresh or frozen mixed berries instead!
Raspberry crisp: Use raspberries in place of blackberries
Peach blackberry crisp: Use half berries and half peeled sliced peaches
Blackberry basil crisp: Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil to the filling
Blackberry mint crisp: Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint to the filling

Toppings for blackberry crumble

You can eat this blackberry crisp plain, but it’s even tastier with a little topping! Here are some of our favorite ideas:

Whipped cream: This Homemade Whipped Cream or Vegan Whipped Cream are the perfect touch.
Ice cream: Try store-bought vanilla ice cream (traditional or dairy free), or this Homemade Vegan Ice Cream is a great choice.

Freeze the leftovers!

Got leftovers? Freeze them! You can freeze this blackberry crisp for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and the topping is crispy. It’s not quite as good as fresh, but it’s close!

This blackberry crisp recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, see the recipe below.