I’ll Take the Striped One: Rocket Pops

Striped pudding pop, banana pop, and chocolate yogurt pop

A friend of mine had the clever idea of freezing little packets of Gogurt for a cool snack for our kids the other day.  I was inspired to create  homemade yogurt pops… which then led to striped chocolate and vanilla pudding pops…. which then led to banana soft serve pops and orange juice pops… and pureed strawberries and cream pops… you get the idea.

My son and I had a great time coming up with all sorts of different flavors.  He and my husband found popsicle molds at our local cookware store.

They are also available online and come in cute shapes.  Jamie chose the rockets.  I made up the mixtures (puddings, yogurts, fruit purees, ice cream, etc.) and filled the molds with his help.  Jello would probably work well too, though we haven’t experimented with it yet.

If you don’t want to bother with molds, I’ve seen pops made with little Dixie cups and popsicle sticks.  The molds are very convenient and reusable though, so there is less waste.

Every time I clean a few, I fill’em right up, so we always have a supply of pops in the freezer.

The best thing is that because you make your own and control the ingredients, they can be as healthy or decadent as is your whim.  I even let my son eat the yogurt or fruit ones for part of his breakfast.  It is a special treat in his mind (popsicles for breakfast!! Whoo hoo!) 🙂

Homemade Frozen Pops

The method is simple.  Just fill the popsicle molds with a mixture of your choice and invention. Leave a little room at the top.  Insert the stick and cap.  Freeze overnight. To remove molds, you can set the pop in a cup of very hot water for a minute of so.  The juice and yogurt ones are very easy to unmold.  The pudding and ice cream ones are a little trickier.  The hardest were the banana pops for some reason.  Be patient.  It’s worth it!

Striped Pudding Pops

1.  Prepare instant pudding (or from scratch if you are more ambitious and have more time than me!)  I used ½ portions of Trader Joe’s Vanilla and Chocolate pudding mixes.

2.  Fill molds, alternating chocolate and vanilla puddings.   You will have a bit leftover after filling six molds.  Freeze overnight.

Yogurt Pops

1.  Mix one cup of plain yogurt with sweetener of choice (I use Stevia and honey and vanilla) and stir in fruit preserves or hot cocoa powder.  Alternatively, use already flavored vanilla, fruit flavored, or chocolate yogurt.

2.  Fill molds.  Freeze overnight.

Banana Pops

1.  Freeze sliced ripe banana in a container overnight.

2.  Puree in food processor with a bit of milk for a few minutes, scraping sides with a rubber spatula now and then.  You want it completely pureed and silky smooth.  You can also mix in chocolate chips or unsweetened cocoa to taste at this point.

3.  If you can resist not eating all of this all natural deliciousness, fill molds.  Freeze overnight.

Juice Pops

So easy – no need to elaborate – fill molds with juice of your choice.  Freeze overnight.

Strawberries and Cream Chocolate Chocolate Chips Pops

(Jamie’s flavor idea)

1.  Puree ½ bag frozen strawberries in food processor.

2.  Add ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup heavy cream, and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Process until fully incorporated.   Stir in desired amount of chocolate chips.

3.  Fill molds.  Freeze overnight.