A Month of Popsicle Recipes

Popsicle molds are available in kitchen supply stores, supermarkets, and some hardware stores. Can't find them? No worries. Pick up popsicle sticks at a craft store, get some small paper cups and you're all set. These are a snap to make. Just whip up one of the recipes below, pour or spoon the mixture into molds and freeze.

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Fruit-Based Popsicles

Piña Colada: Puree pineapple chunks with coconut milk, sugar to taste, a little nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.

Blueberry: Puree blueberries with just enough water to make the mixture pourable, a little pepper, ground allspice and sugar to taste.

Peanut Butter-Banana: Puree bananas with a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter, milk and a little vanilla.

Peaches and Cream: Puree peeled fresh or canned peaches along with sugar to taste, some water, a little half-and-half, a pinch of salt and a touch of lemon juice.

Watermelon-Chocolate Chip: Puree several cups of watermelon. Fold in mini chocolate chips and spoon into popsicles molds.

Creamy Banana: Puree bananas with a splash of lime juice and enough milk to make it thick but pourable. Add a little chopped banana for texture and add sugar to taste.

Cranberry-Orange: Puree canned cranberry sauce with enough orange juice to thin mixture to a thick pouring consistency. Add sugar and ground ginger to taste.

Tamarind: Combine about 2 cups of tamarind pulp (with pits) with 4 cups of water and simmer until the pulp has separated from the pits and the mixture is flavorful. Add sugar to taste and push through a sieve; discard pits.

Strawberry-Raspberry Yogurt: Puree strawberries with seedless raspberry jam until smooth. Add plain low-fat yogurt, vanilla, and sugar to taste and whirl until combined.

Mango-Chile: Puree fresh mango with a little lime juice, a touch of chipotle chile powder and a pinch of salt.

Pineapple: Puree chunks of pineapple (fresh or canned) with pineapple juice, a little grated fresh ginger, lime juice, and sugar to taste.

Sour Cherry Crisp: Puree a couple of cups of pitted fresh or canned sour cherries with light brown sugar to taste, a few tablespoons of toasted oats (toasted in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes), a little ground allspice, a touch of ground cloves, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and enough orange juice to thin.

Juice-Based Popsicles

Grapefruit-Grenadine: Combine pink grapefruit juice with honey to taste, and grenadine to give a nice blush.

Orange Julius: Combine orange juice, just enough half-and-half to make it creamy, vanilla, and sugar to taste.

Spiced Carrot Cake: Gently heat carrot juice and add sugar to taste, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in some ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and a pinch of salt.

Key Lime Pie: Combine sweetened condensed milk, a little grated lime zest, lime juice, and a little vanilla extract.

Lemonade: Prepare your favorite lemonade making it extra strong; pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Pomegranate Sangria: Stir together pomegranate juice, orange juice and a little lime juice. Add sugar if needed.

Coffee and Chocolate Popsicles

Mocha: Prepare hot cocoa using 2 heaping teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate to 1 cup of hot coffee; sweeten to taste with brown sugar. Add a splash of milk and freeze.

Chocolate Malt: Melt a 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate in a cup of milk. Add a tablespoon or two of malted milk powder and freeze.

Adventurous Popsicles

Cucumber-Mint: Combine 3 cups of peeled and seeded cucumber, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 to 4 tablespoons of lime juice and 2/3 cup fresh mint leaves and puree. Push through a strainer and freeze.

Margarita: Combine lime juice, tequila, agave nectar to taste and a little orange juice.

Hibiscus: Steep several red zinger tea bags in boiling water until flavorful. Add sugar to taste, stirring until dissolved.

Lemon-Lavender Buttermilk: Make a sugar syrup of 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon lavender; heat just until sugar has melted. Let steep until cold. Strain and stir in 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 cup buttermilk.

Toasted Coconut: Gently warm coconut milk, add lemon, orange, and lime zest, cover and steep until cool. Meanwhile in a 350 degree F oven toast angel flake coconut until golden brown. Strain and remove zest from coconut milk, then stir in toasted coconut and sugar to taste.

Rice Pudding: Puree some cooked white rice with sweetened rice milk. Add a little cinnamon and nutmeg, pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Thanksgiving Pops: Place a can of pumpkin puree in a blender along with light brown sugar to taste, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, a touch of cloves and enough milk to make a pourable mixture,

Vanilla-Caramel Pops: Combine 2/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a skillet and cook over low heat until sugar has caramelized. Off heat add 2 cups milk (be careful, it will sputter). Return to heat and stir until sugar has melted. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and freeze.

Butter-Pecan: Saute 3/4 cup of chopped pecans in 3 tablespoons butter until golden brown and fragrant. Add a couple of cups of milk and light brown sugar to taste and heat just until warm. Cover and let sit 30 minutes. Push through a strainer, stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract and freeze.

Gingerale: Thinly slice enough fresh ginger to get 2 cups (no need to peel). Cook in 4 cups of water until nice and spicy. Add sugar to taste, and bring to a boil. Strain and freeze.

More Popsicles and Desserts from KitchenDaily and Slashfood:

Get a month of cookie recipes.
See additional baking and dessert ideas.
Read Slashfood's review of the Zoku Ice Pop Maker.