Popsicles often evoke images of childhood summer days. You imagine sitting on the grass looking up at a cloudless sky with friends by your side, licking a tasty pop as you gossip about boys and soak in the warm sun.
Re-create those memories by making your own ice pops. It's a fun activity that the kids can partake in, too. The flavor combinations for these frozen treats are endless. Here are a few of our favorite frozen pop recipes.
Chai Tea Latte Popsicles
Are you a Chai tea fan? Maybe you like a glass cold on a hot summer's day. Or perhaps you prefer the beverage hot to warm you up when you have a chill. Why not transform your beloved beverage into a refreshing popsicle? These pops—made with real cream—taste just like a latte and are perfect to munch as you sit by the pool.
Chocolate Dipped Pear Popsicles
These easy fruit popsicles are dipped in a homemade "magic shell" that will keep your family begging for more. Once you've learned this recipe, apply it to other fruits like apples or mangoes. Tip: Store leftover chocolate topping in a mason jar with a lid. Reheat it in the microwave until it's melted, being sure to remove the metal lid. Heat it in 30 second bursts, stirring in between to test if it's smooth and melted.
Cookies and Cream Popsicles
The kids are sure to devour these pops! The creamy base of this popsicle is a no-cook, Philadelphia-style ice cream made of milk and cream with no egg yolks. The sour cream gives it a richness and slight tang to balance the rest of the pop's sweetness. You'll fold in pea-sized bites of Oreo cookies. Can we say yum?
Creamy Lemon Popsicles
Instead of making lemonade when life gives you lemons, make some lemon popsicles. This recipe calls for buttermilk instead of cream or milk. You may be skeptical, but the tartness of the buttermilk pairs nicely with the lemon. You'll be left with a light and refreshing pop that's perfect to enjoy on a warm summer day.
Green Frog Pops
Impossible to get your kids to eat a bowl of greens? Give it to them in a popsicle! And with a fun name like Green Frog, they'll likely be excited and willing to try it. This recipe will give your kids spinach plus mangos and bananas in a way that they'll definitely get a dose of healthy nutrients. And all you have to do is blend the ingredients until smooth, pour into molds and freeze.
Hot Cocoa Popsicles
Turn the flavors of a beloved winter drink into a cool treat that you can enjoy on a stick. Here, a rich hot cocoa is layered in a popsicle mold with marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. They're frozen in two parts to prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom and the marshmallows from going to the top. Reach for one whenever you need a chocolate fix or are dreaming of snow on a steamy day.
Root Beer Float Pops
When you're making these pops, open the soda and refrigerate it for five to 20 minutes, depending on how much you want to flatten the liquid. To get an airy texture from carbonated soda, let the liquid flatten for a shorter amount of time. Once the fizz is out of the soda, put it in the pop molds, leaving 1/2 inch at the top. The best part of this recipe? The hidden maraschino cherry.
Swirled Berry Yogurt Popsicles
After trying this classic homemade popsicle, you'll never want to eat yogurt from a bowl with berries again. The blogger suggests that if you're using a conventional mold, snap on the lid and freeze until solid, about three to four hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops start to set, which will be about 45 minutes to one hour. Insert sticks and freeze until solid, about three to four hours.
3-Ingredient Blueberry Yogurt Swirl Popsicles
Three ingredients? That's right. This recipe—a creamy yogurt popsicle filled with sweet blueberries—is simple, healthy and sure to be addictive. To give your pop sweetness and flavor, use a flavored yogurt like honey, vanilla or blueberry. To get a tie-dye swirly-looking pop, lightly mix together the yogurt and blended blueberries. Don't fully combine them; that's the best way to get patches of violet blueberry specks and white yogurt. Don't have blueberry fans in the house? Use cherries, peaches, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries.
