Tasty Popsicles & Poptails
Before we get into them, there are a few pointers to consider. You will need a decent blender for all of these. You will obviously need some popsicle molds to pour the liquids into as well. They are very easy to find at most big box stores and are quite cheap. Alternatively you can use a paper cup and a popsicle stick, although I actually found it cheaper and easier to find the molds than it was to find popsicle sticks anymore. Once you nail these down you will realize that you can pretty much make any of your favorite drinks into popsicles. The key is to remember that they require a little bit of sugar to ensure they are a little soft, rather than simply ice cubes. That doesn’t always mean refined white sugar, it can be natural sugars found in fruit, or even honey, jam, cane sugar, or simple syrup. Follow these ideas to start, and then create your own favorites! All of the popsicles will take at least 4-6 hours to freeze. To pop them out, run the mold under a little hot water until it slides out.
Berry-Coconut Yoghurt Popsicles
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 4-6 hours at least
Makes: about 8
8 oz. fresh mixed berries (choose your favorite!)
1 ea. lime, juice only
1 tbsp. honey
1.5 cups honey yoghurt
½ cup coconut milk
pinch salt
- In a bowl combine berries, lime juice and honey, let stand 10 minutes
- Roughly smash the berries to soften up
- In a separate bowl combine the yoghurt, coconut milk
- Then fold in the berries, being sure to leave behind streaks, rather than working it in completely
- Place in the molds and freeze at least 4-6 hours
Nutella Fudgesicles
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 4-6 hours
Makes: about 8 popsicles
3 ea. bananas, over ripe, frozen
½ cup Nutella
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
½ cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
¼ cup hazelnuts, chopped
- Peel the bananas and slice into chunks
- Place bananas, nutella, milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla in blender
- Blend until smooth
- Fold in the chopped hazelnuts for some texture inside the popsicle
- Place in the popsicle molds and freeze at least 4-6 hours
Grapefruit & Strawberry Greyhound Poptails (not kid friendly)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 4-6 hours, at least
Makes: about 8 popsicles
8 oz. ruby red grapefruit juice (fresh, if you can)
12-15 ea. medium strawberries
2 tbsp. honey (optional, depending on how ripe your berries are)
5 oz. vodka
- Trim the stems off of the strawberries
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender
- Blend until smooth
- Pour into molds and freeze at least 4-6 hours
Blackberry-Pinot Poptails (not kid friendly)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 6 hours or more
Makes: about 8 pops
¼ cup cane sugar (you can sub honey or regular old sugar if you must)
3 tbsp. water
5 cups blackberries
1 cup pinot noir
- Combine cane sugar and water in a small pan, bring to a simmer to dissolve sugar
- Remove from heat and cool
- Once cool combine the berries and sugar in the blender, blend, slowly adding the wine
- Take the concoction, if you like a little more wine in there I’m not going to judge!
- Pour into your molds and freeze for at least 6 hours