Oh my gosh, this heat, right?
When it’s so hot that taking a shower three times a day seems completely reasonable, the temperature is all anyone can talk about.
“It’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk!”
The sidewalk.
Why would you leave the safety of the air conditioning to make breakfast on the sidewalk?
And eggs?
Who wants to eat anything cooked when it’s this hot?
When the dog days of summer hit hard, I rarely have an appetite, but I find myself diving headfirst into the freezer more often.
For most of the year, my popsicle mold sits on the top shelf of my pantry, gathering dust, but for a few weeks each summer, it earns its keep with a semi-permanent location in the freezer. It’s only around late September that it gets relegated back to its spot in the pantry.
What’s so great about making your own popsicles? Everything.
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For starters, making your own popsicles is better for the environment. You cut down on the single-use packaging considerably. No more individually wrapped popsicles in plastic that won’t break down. No more paperboard boxes holding a scant 6 to 8 bars.
And those wooden sticks? Wash ‘em and reuse ‘em.
When you make your popsicles, you can store them right in the mold and pop them out as you eat them.
And there’s no running to the store when you’re out.
Once someone nabs that last popsicle, you can easily refill your mold with a tasty new batch. There are so many flavor combinations and recipes out there that it’s quite probable you have the ingredients on hand to make something sweet and icy.
You get to control what goes into your popsicles. There’s no worrying about additives or dyes or how much sugar is in those pops – it’s all entirely up to you. It’s easy to make simple, healthy popsicles when you make them at home.
Did I mention the flavor possibilities?
If you love to tinker in the kitchen, this age-old summertime treat is a great way to whip up something different. You can keep the classic flavors or get creative in the kitchen combining sweet and savory elements to make a popsicle that’ll knock your socks off.
Popsicles are not just for kids. Oh no, folks, these days, this humble kid’s treat is all grown up. There are so many great flavors that lean more toward the adult palette. And you can really make them grown up with the addition of your favorite spirit.
For my 40th birthday party, I decided to serve adult-beverage popsicles as the dessert. Rum horchata popsicles (heavy on the cinnamon), ginger peach bourbon popsicles, and vodka gummi bear popsicles filled my freezer. They were a huge hit! And the best part about spirited popsicles is you get all of the flavor without a lot of alcohol.
And popsicle molds these days are so much nicer than those terrible plastic ones those of us of a certain age remember. You know the ones. You could sip the melted popsicle out of the little spout at the bottom but good luck getting the popsicle to come out of the mold still attached to the plastic stick.
For popsicle molds, you’ve got options beyond plastic. I personally love my silicone popsicle mold. It’s super flexible, which means I can pop my popsicles right out without having to worry about getting them to melt a little first. It’s easy to wash, and I rarely have issues with popsicles sticking or coming apart.
I bought this silicone popsicle mold several years ago, and I still love it. It comes with 50 wooden sticks, and I have yet to have to buy more because we keep washing and reusing ours.
You can also opt for a sleek stainless steel popsicle mold. Metal molds will require a little extra care, and you’ll need to run them under hot water for a few seconds to get the popsicles to release, but these are built to last. This may be the last popsicle mold you’ll ever buy.
Beyond the mold you choose, the sky is the limit. For the best popsicles, turn your freezer to the coldest setting. When your popsicles freeze, the ice crystal formations will be smaller, making your popsicles creamier and less icy. This step is especially important for yogurt-based pops and pudding pops.
I’ve put together a list of a few personal favorites. Here are a dozen different popsicle recipes to cool you off. Make a batch of each one, and before you know it, cooler weather will have arrived.
- Three Ingredient Strawberry Popsicles Let’s kick things off with super easy, three-ingredient strawberry popsicles. These delicious pops are mostly all fruit for the sweet taste of summer without a ton of sugar. Not to mention you get the fiber that comes along with eating whole fruit.
- Honey Lemonade Popsicles Another recipe that requires only a few ingredients are these delightful honey lemonade popsicles. There’s nothing as refreshing as a tall glass of lemonade on a hot day. Well, except maybe these lemonade popsicles.
- Blueberry Basil Popsicles Herbs and fruit pair so well. Strawberries and thyme, peaches and sage, and the classic flavor of blueberries and basil. This popsicle recipe makes for a more adult flavored pop; it’s a perfect after-dinner dessert for a dinner party when it’s just too hot to serve something heavy.
- Parfait Popsicle Popsicles for breakfast?
Sure, why not? When you mix protein-packed, good for your gut greek yogurt with swirls of luscious jam and add a touch of granola, you’ve got yourself the perfect breakfast parfait. On a stick!
This portable pop makes for a tasty grab-and-go breakfast when you’re in a hurry too.
- Creamy Iced Coffee Pops This is another popsicle that’s perfect for the breakfast table!
When it’s just too darn hot out, but you still want that caffeine fix, grab yourself an iced coffee pop. This recipe is pretty simple; you’re basically making coffee the way you like it and then freezing it. But it’s also a great template to try something new. Instead of heavy cream, try mixing in a little sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon for a frozen Viennese-style coffee. Or use coffee made from your own home-roasted coffee.
- Cinnamon Horchata Popsicles Make up a batch of cinnamon horchata popsicles for a frozen pop that’s not only refreshing but comforting. The cinnamon-laced rice milk gives a warming flavor to the popsicle. For a more grown-up popsicle, stir in 3 oz. of your favorite rum to the horchata before you pour it into the molds and freeze.
- Chocolate Pudding Pops Fruit popsicles are great, but sometimes what you’re craving is something smooth and creamy. And chocolatey. These popsicles fit the bill. Skip the store-bought frozen pudding pops from your childhood. Those were filled with preservatives and other additives. For the creamiest possible popsicles, don’t forget to turn your freezer to the coldest setting.
For an extra decadent chocolate pudding pop, use a chopstick to stir in two teaspoons of crushed almonds into each popsicle mold. Mmmm!
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