You may think the greatest piece of equipment in your kitchen is your knife, or your stove, or your panini press. But in the dog days of summer, it’s hard to beat the freezer. • You can puree just about anything you can think of, pour it into a frozen-pop mold, and within a few hours, one of the greatest pleasures of the season is in your grasp. • Here’s one nice thing about making your own pops: You control what goes into them (which means you can make them as healthy as you like). Here’s another: They’re appropriate any time of day, from breakfast to snack time to dessert. • Try one of these 10 frozen-pop recipes, or make up your own. The possibilities are refreshingly endless.
Frozen-pop recipes
Frozen Strawberry-Peach Pops
From Country Living magazine, available at countryliving.com. Makes 5 pops; recipe doubles easily.
Ingredients
1 cup water, divided
1/2 cup sugar
6 ounces strawberries, hulled
6 ounces peaches, peeled and pitted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
Bring 1/2 cup of water and the sugar to a boil and let cool. Puree the strawberries, peaches, cooled syrup, lemon juice and 1/2 cup water in a food processor. Fill five 4-ounce paper cups or popsicle molds with the strawberry-peach mixture.
For paper cups, place on a tray, cover securely with plastic wrap, and pierce a popsicle stick through the plastic into each cup. For popsicle molds, follow manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze until solid.
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Pink Grapefruit-Tarragon Sorbet Pops
From “Spice Dreams,” by Sara Engram and Katie Luber (Andrews McMeel). Makes 8-10 pops.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 to 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups freshly squeezed pink or ruby red grapefruit juice
Directions
Combine the sugar, water, tarragon and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring gently, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup is clear, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup steep for 1 hour.
Strain the syrup through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Add the grapefruit juice to they syrup and whisk until completely mixed. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze completely.
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Chocolate-Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Pops
From Eating Well magazine, available at eatingwell.com. Makes about 10 pops.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style
3-5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions
Puree raspberries, yogurt and sugar to taste in a food processor until smooth.
Divide the mixture among freezer- pop molds, stopping about 1 inch from the top. Evenly divide chocolate chips among the molds. Stir the chips into the raspberry mixture, stirring out any air pockets at the same time. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours. Dip the molds briefly in hot water before unmolding.
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Blackberry, Honey and Yogurt Pops
Recipe by Nathalie Jordi from the August 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. (Subscribe at bonappetit.com). Makes 10 pops.
Ingredients
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
3 6-ounce containers fresh blackberries (3 1/2 to 3 3/4cups)
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (preferably organic)
5 teaspoons honey
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Bring water and sugar to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Transfer simple syrup to small bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
Place blackberries in processor; puree until smooth. Pour blackberry puree into strainer set over medium bowl. Using rubber spatula, press on solids to extract as much puree as possible. Discard seeds in strainer. Measure 2 cups blackberry puree and place in another medium bowl for pops (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Add chilled simple syrup, yogurt, honey, and lemon juice to puree; whisk to blend.
Divide mixture among 10 molds (each about 1/3- to 1/2-cup capacity). Top with mold cover, if available, and insert stick into each. (If cover is not available, cover top of mold with plastic wrap, pulling taut; freeze until partially frozen, then insert stick into center of plastic wrap and into pop mixture in each.) Freeze pops until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Dip bottom of mold into hot water 10 to 15 seconds to loosen pops. Remove pops from molds and serve.
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Chocolate Soy Milk Frozen Pops
From “A Passion for Ice Cream,” by Emily Luchetti (Chronicle Books). Makes 8-10 pops.
Ingredients
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 cups soy milk
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons corn syrup
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
To make the pops: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water and transfer to a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy milk, sugar, corn syrup and canola oil. Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt. Pour 1 cup of the soy milk mixture into the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining mixture.
Pour into molds and put a stick in the center of each. Freeze until hard, about 8 hours, depending on your freezer.
Unmold by running the molds briefly under hot water and then gently pulling on the sticks.
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Maple-Mocha Pops
Recipe from Taste of Home magazine, available at tasteofhome.com. Makes about 8-12 pops.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon instant-coffee granules
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk the whipping cream, half-and-half, maple syrup, chocolate syrup and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved. Fill molds or cups with 1/4 cup cream mixture; top with holders or insert sticks into cups. Freeze.
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Striped Fruit Pops
Recipe from Taste of Home magazine, available at tasteofhome.com. This multilayered pop visits the freezer three times; insert sticks during the second round of freezing. Makes 8-12 pops.
Ingredients
3/4 cup honey, divided
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
6 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
1 1/3 cups sliced fresh ripe peaches
Directions
In a blender, combine 1/4 cup honey and strawberries; cover and process until blended. Pour into cups or molds. Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.
Meanwhile, in a blender, combine 1/4 cup honey and kiwi; cover and process until blended. Pour over frozen strawberry layer; insert popsicle sticks. Freeze until firm.
Repeat with peaches and remaining honey; pour over kiwi layer. Freeze until firm.
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Honeydew Lime Pops
From epicurious.com. Makes 6-10 pops.
Ingredients
1/4 cup superfine or regular granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 ripe honeydew melon (about 3 1/2pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (4 cups)
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
Directions
Dissolve sugar in water by stirring if using superfine or by heating in a small heavy saucepan if using regular granulated (then cool).
Blend half of melon and half of lime juice in a blender until smooth. Add syrup and remaining melon and lime juice and puree until smooth. Force puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-quart glass measure or bowl, pressing on solids and then discarding them.
Pour mixture into molds and freeze until slushy, about 2 hours. Insert sticks, then freeze pops until completely hardened, at least 6 hours.
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Cherry Cola Pops
Recipe by Tucker Shaw. Makes 8-10 pops.
Ingredients
1 pound pitted cherries (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cola
Directions
Stir together cherries, water, sugar and honey in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover, turn off heat, and let sit 15 minutes.
Puree the cherry mixture and the lemon juice until smooth. Stir in cola. Pour into molds and freeze 2 hours. Insert sticks and freeze another 6 hours.
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Watermelon Pops
Recipe from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Makes 4 generous pops.
Ingredients
4 cups watermelon cubes
Instructions
Remove black seeds from watermelon cubes and puree fruit in blender. Pour into four 7-ounce paper cups. Place popsicle sticks in cups and freeze until firm. To eat, tear paper cup from the frozen pop.
-Compiled by Tucker Shaw
Author: Mile High Mamas
