Sweet and Spicy Watermelon Paletas

Now that the clouds and rain appear to be behind us, this Tejana blogger is ready for summer full of sunshine with watermelon paletas!

There are few better ways to celebrate summer than with paletas. I love paletas in all shapes and sizes. Come summer, you can find me in the kitchen throwing all sorts of fruits and flavors into the blender in the hopes of creating something delicious, and a little unexpected.

Fruit paletas are one of the freshest and tastiest treats out there. When you add one surprising ingredient to a traditional flavor, it transforms it into something a little more special.

Here are two recent creations from my kitchen. Both are watermelon flavored, but each is a little bit different. The first, a sweet paleta, integrates a little sweet basil fresh from the garden, which lends it a yummy, fragrant and green taste. The second paleta is inspired by the fruit cup you can find at any frutería. It integrates lime juice, chamoy and a dash of chile salt for that yummy, tangy spiciness that I look for in icy treats.

I hope you love them as much as I do! Enjoy.

Sweet: Watermelon & Basil Paletas

• ¼ Small seedless watermelon (enough to fill a large blender ¾ to the top)
• ½ cup Basil Simple Syrup

Blend both ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture into paleta molds and freeze overnight. Makes 6 medium-sized paletas, though you may have some left over.

Spicy: Watermelon, Lime & Chamoy Paletas

• ¼ Small seedless watermelon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Heaping tablespoon Chamoy
• Juice of three limes
• Dash of chile salt (I prefer Tajín)

Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into paleta molds and freeze overnight. Makes 6 medium-sized paletas, though you may have some left over.