What’s the perfect way to celebrate warm summer days? With a sweet and colorful frozen treat, of course!
The humble popsicle may be the perfect summer snack — managing to elicit squeals of delight from children and nostalgic smiles from adults; you can make them in a dizzying array of shapes and a rainbow of colors. Coat them in sprinkles, drizzle them with chocolate, pack them with fruits and yogurt and good things galore, then freeze them up and slurp them down.
With temperatures rising and the school year ending, now is the time to invite a few friends over for some delicious (and nutritious) homemade popsicle treats. For our pop party, I prepared a variety of refreshing pops using nothing more than fruit, juices and yogurt (and a few sprinkles, just for fun). To keep things interesting, I used several types of popsicle molds, resulting in a variety of fun shapes and sizes, some with colorful handles or no handle at all.
It was fun to watch as our guests selected their own version of the perfect pop. No matter which one they chose, they were getting a healthy helping of wholesome ingredients, plus lots of happy smiles all around. All of my recipes can be prepared in 10 minutes or less and they’re a perfect activity for getting the kids involved in the kitchen. Whether you’re planning a party or simply celebrating lazy summer afternoons, make sure your freezer is well-stocked with homemade popsicles.
The older children were delighted by the Vanilla Orange Confetti Dreamsicles, made using Tovolo Twin Pop Molds.
Vanilla Orange Confetti Dreamsicles
Ingredients
- .75 cups Orange juice
- .5 cups Plain Greek yogurt
- .5 cups Milk
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- .5 cups Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Whisk together the orange juice, yogurt, milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl, until smooth.
- Add sprinkles and stir until evenly mixed.
- Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Use a spoon to evenly distribute sprinkles among popsicle molds until the mixture reaches the fill line. Add popsicle sticks.
- Freeze popsicles for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Parents of our youngest guests loved the Mango Coconut Mini Pops, made with Cuisipro’s Mini Farm Pop Molds, since they are perfectly sized for little hands.
Mango Coconut Mini Pops
Ingredients
- 1 cups mango (fresh or frozen), cut into 1 inch cubes
- .75 cups coconut milk
Instructions
- Evenly distribute mango pieces between pop molds, leaving space in the center of each mold for the popsicle stick.
- Whisk coconut milk in a small bowl until smooth.
- Pour coconut milk into each mold to reach the fill level. Add popsicle sticks.
- Freeze pops for at least 4 hours or overnight.
My daughter loved helping create the Strawberry Lemonade Pops, using a Zoku Quick Pop Maker, because the pops were frozen and ready to enjoy in under 7 minutes.
Strawberry Lemonade Pops
Equipment
- Zoku Quick Pop Maker
Ingredients
- .5 cups strawberries, cleaned, hulled and thinly sliced width wise
- 2 cups pink lemonade
Instructions
- Follow instructions for Zoku Quick Pop Maker, freezing mold for 24 hours before preparing pops.
- Remove Quick Pop Maker from freezer.
- Carefully drop strawberry slices into Quick Pop Maker, ensuring each berry sticks on the sides of the pop mold. Distribute 1 or 2 berries on each side of the three molds.
- Add popsicle sticks and carefully pour in pink lemonade to the fill line. Allow the pops to freeze for approximately 7 minutes, or until they are frozen through. Follow Zoku Quick Pop Maker instructions for pop removal.
- Repeat process with remaining strawberry slices and lemonade for a total of 6 pops.
The Honeydew Lime Zipzicles made wonderful, nutritious take-home treats, due to their portable, stick-free design.
Honeydew Lime Zipzicles
Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh honeydew, peeled and cubed
- Juice from 1 lime, freshly squeezed
- .25 tsp Kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- If desired, write the popsicle flavor on each Zipzicle pouch before filling.
- Insert a funnel into the opening of each Zipzicle pouch and slowly pour honeydew mixture to the fill line.
- Seal Zipzicle pouch and place in a tall glass or vase. Repeat with additional Zipzicle pouches until all of the honeydew mixture has been used.
- Freeze Zipzicles upright (use the same glass or vase) for at least 4 hours or overnight.
