Combine the hulled strawberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently for 3-4 minutes until the berries begin releasing their juice and the sugar dissolves completely. I always pause here to smell the pan—that's your cue the mixture is warming through properly, and the lemon scent should be unmistakable.

Bring the strawberry mixture to a gentle simmer for just 5 minutes—no longer, or you'll cook away the bright strawberry flavor. I used to boil this aggressively until I learned that tenderness comes from restraint, not heat. The berries should look slightly softer but still hold their shape when you press them gently with a spoon.

Pour the warm strawberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing gently on the solids to extract every drop of juice. Save the pulp for smoothies later—why waste it? This step is why your cozy strawberry popsicles homemade version tastes silken rather than grainy, because you're removing seeds and tough skin.

Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the strained strawberry juice in a small cup until completely smooth with zero lumps. Stir this slurry back into the warm strawberry juice and let it cool to room temperature—about 20 minutes. This is the move most recipes skip, and it's exactly why their popsicles turn out icy instead of creamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, honey, coconut milk, and rose water until the honey dissolves fully. Taste this mixture before moving forward—you need to know if it's balanced before it hits the freeze cycle. The rose water should be whisper-soft, not perfume-like; if you added too much, add 1 tablespoon more milk.

Combine the cooled strawberry mixture with the cream mixture, stirring until uniform and silken. Pour into popsicle molds, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top for expansion. Insert sticks if your molds use them, then freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.