popsicles Archives - The Midnight Baker

Orange Creamsicles

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Orange Creamsicle

You won’t be able to stop at one! Oh my, but these are good!

I’ve always loved this treat, even from childhood. I’ve tried to duplicate it a few times in the past without much success.

But then I thought, why try to “duplicate” it? By and large, the product was artificially flavored and maybe not much good for you (maybe? Nope it’s not good for you LOL). So maybe a few natural, or close-to-natural ingredients would be better.

All natural ingredients

I got the idea for using frozen orange juice concentrate when I had to defrost some so I could use about a tablespoon of it in a marinade. Since I didn’t want to make up a pitcher of OJ, I put it in a container and back in the fridge. Then I got to thinking about the texture of it when frozen–it’s something like a very sticky sherbet as everyone knows. I liked that!!! So I thought I’d try it to make a creamsicle-like pop. FYI the thing I’d do differently *next* time I make these–and there will be a next time–is add about a tablespoon or two of water to the orange concentrate to get it a tad more icy when it freezes. In it’s pristine state, I find it melts a bit *too* quickly.

Anyway since I fell madly in love with Greek yogurt, that’s the base of the white part, but you’d never know it. To me, it tastes like cheesecake!!

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Orange Creamsicles

These homemade orange creamsicles will take you back to your childhood. Creamy, cold, and delicious frozen treats!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: frozen treats, orange creamsicles

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 142kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1 /2 cups plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate thawed

Instructions

Process all ingredients, except for orange juice concentrate in a blender or Ninja.
Spoon about 1-2 tbs (depends on the size of your molds--I use the one pictured above and used a tad more than 1 tbs) of orange juice concentrate in each mold.
Top this with about 2-3 tbs of the yogurt mixture (again it depends on the size of your mold) on top of the orange juice. Repeat until molds are filled, leaving a bit of space at the top to allow for expansion in freezing (maybe 1/16-1/8-inch).
Cover mold, add sticks and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Mine made 10 pops with a little OJ left over.

Nutrition

Orange Creamsicles

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Mixed Berry Smoothie Pops

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Mixed Berry Smoothie Pops

It’s a smoothie on a stick!

Nothing could be better or more portable!

These delicious popsicles start with mixed berries–the ones sold as “mixed berries” in the frozen food section. They are generally blueberries, red raspberries and blackberries. Of course you can substitute fresh if you wish, but do at least partially freeze them.

I used whole milk greek yogurt and whole milk here. If you use lower fat varieties, then you really should add the 1/4 cup of cream–especially if using non-fat products because you’ll end up with a solid block of berry ice. OK, that will taste all right but you’d be missing some textural sensation here.

The milk is in a range. You want the mixture to be pretty thick, but NOT like soft-serve ice cream. Start with the lower amount and add as necessary until the consistency is that of partially melted ice cream or sherbet.

I like things like this with a bit of sweetness, so I add a bit of sugar. You can leave this out if you wish or use other natural sweeteners to your taste.

Here is the molds I use and I use a Ninja to prepare the mixture.

Mixed Berry Smoothie Pops

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup greek yogurt
1-1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup cream*
1/4 cup sugar (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender or Ninja.

Process until smooth. Pour into molds and freeze at least 6 hours or overnight.

*use cream if you are using non-fat yogurt and/or milk unless you like a very icy pop.

Mixed Berry Smoothie Pops

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Coconut Banana Popsicles

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Coconut Banana Popsicles

A taste of the tropics! Gluten and dairy free too!

I love coconut…I mean REALLY love coconut. I could live on that and avocados and never miss anything else. Say, now avocado gives me ideas….

Since I love coconut so much, I figured I’d try to make something that resembled those old Good Humor bars…forget what they were called, but they were vanilla ice cream coated with shredded white coconut. HEAVEN. This comes pretty close. Only difference is the hint of banana–which gives a wonderful, subtle flavor.

Anyway, these are simple to make and even easier to eat!

Coconut Banana Popsicles

1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
1 banana
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 tbs sugar (optional)

Place all ingredients in a deep bowl if using a stick blender or in a blender or Ninja and process until smooth.

Pour into popsicle molds and freezer for at least 6 hours.

Makes 10 pops.

Coconut Banana Popsicles

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July 4th Cheesecake Popsicles

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Cheesecake Popsicles for 4th of July

The perfect pop for the 4th!

What a delicious way to celebrate Independence Day–or any other day!

These two-fruit cheescake pops are a treat for taste and texture.

First you have great granita-like fruit layers and a creamy and rich cheesecake center!

I made the cheesecake part with Neufchatel cheese–some like to call this “low-fat cream cheese” these days, but Neufchatel is and always has been a cheese in itself. It’s very similar to cream cheese, yet a lot lower in fat. It’s slightly more tangy too. Of course you can use regular cream cheese, but you may have to reduce the sugar every so slightly…taste first to see. In fact, do that even with my recipe. Taste varies, so you might find my amount too sweet or not sweet enough.

Feel free to change the berries too. I used raspberry for the red, but any red berry will do. Same with the blue layer.

I used the star-shaped popsicle mold for this…thought it appropriate LOL

Cheesecake Popsicles

1 cup red raspberries, thawed
1 cup blueberries or blackberries, thawed
3 tbs sugar
8 oz Neufchatel cheese
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup milk, light cream or half and half

NOTE: I used frozen berries. If you use fresh, cook each berry variety in a small saucepan with 1 tbs water just until berries are soft and begin to burst. This step is unnecessary if using frozen fruit.

Place blueberries in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbs of the sugar.

Place raspberries in another bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbs of the sugar.

Let the berries stand for about 30 minutes (this is called “maceration”).

Mash the berries or process in a food processor, Ninja, or with a stick blender. Set aside.

Blend the Neufchatel, confectioner’s sugar and milk with a food processor, Ninja or stick blender.

Fill 1/3 of each mold with one flavor berry. Place molds in freezer for about 2 hours.

When berry layer is firm enough to support the cheesecake layer, fill another 1/3 of the mold with the cheescake mixture. Since this layer is pretty thick, you probably won’t have to freeze it to firm it up. I didn’t, but if you want to, probably an hour would do.

Fill the final 1/3 with the other berry flavor, *almost* to the top of the mold…remember, it will expand when frozen!

Place a wooden popsicle stick into each mold, leaving about 1 1/2-inches free at each end.

Cover and freeze for about 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Makes 6 pops.

July 4th Cheesecake Popsicles

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Ice Cream Orgasm Pops

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Ice Cream Orgasm Pops

You better believe it!!! Especially if you like chocolate and peanut butter!!!

Hey, here it is Popsicle Friday again.

These are definitely the OMG of ice cream pops.

They are made of rich French vanilla ice cream, peanut butter sauce and a rich hot fudge sauce.

I make my own ice cream…however, you can substitute your favorite store-bought ice cream for my homemade. Either way, it’s just fantastically delicious! I’ll give the recipe for my ice cream custard right here if you want to try it, but be warned–this formula is very VERY rich and I always say it makes Ben & Jerry’s Premium taste like diet ice cream!!!

Since my freezer real estate is at a premium and I can’t have space taken up freezing a bowl to make ice cream, I have a machine that has a freezer in it. The one I own is a Lello Gelato Junior. It makes a scant quart. Perfect size!

The recipe for the peanut butter sauce may be found HERE.

The fudge sauce may be found HERE.

If you wish to use store-bought ice cream, you will need about 1 pint softened.

I used these molds~~

Ice Cream Orgasm Pops

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup light cream
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fudge sauce, warmed
1/2 cup peanut butter sauce, warmed
1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups, chopped

Add the creams and sugar to a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is very hot, but NOT boiling.

Add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the beaten egg, whisking while pouring the cream in–this is called “tempering.” While whisking the cream in the saucepan, add the egg/cream mixture back to the pot and stir constantly until mixture reaches 160 degrees OR coats the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add vanilla and stir. Transfer to a covered container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use and/or well chilled.

Follow your ice cream maker’s instruction for freezing.

To assemble the pops, add about 2-3 tablespoons of ice cream to each popsicle mold. Add about 1 tablespoon of the chopped mini peanut butter cups on top of each . Then add about 1 tablespoon of the fudge sauce followed by about 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter sauce to each mold. Fill to within 1/8-inch of top of each with remaining ice cream. Insert sticks in center, leaving about 1-2 inches of the stick free.

Freeze until firm, about 6 hours, preferably overnight.

**No nutritional info will be given due to variations in individual amounts and/or ice cream used in recipe. Hey, it’s loaded with fat and calories–just enjoy!!!**

Ice Cream Orgasm Pops

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Strawberries & Cream Popsicles

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Strawberries & Cream Popsicles

Heaven on a stick. And a linky party too!!

Strawberries & Cream Popsicles: A Summer Treat

I can’t think of anything better to cool and refresh on a hot summer day!

These use Greek yogurt, but before the bell starts ringing about being low-fat, I have to tell you that even though my plain Greek yogurt was non-fat, you absolutely MUST add some fat to these so you don’t end up with a solid white ice cube…hence there is some heavy & light cream in there.

Since I planted some lovely peppermint that’s taking off like cra-zee, I decided to put a little bit o’ that in the strawberry puree. Feel free to leave that out if you’re not a fan, but mint and strawberry is a great combo IMO.

Delicious, creamy and refreshing

I started with canned whole strawberries in light syrup–I can’t pass up a clearance sale and these were on the clearance table. But you can sure use fresh. You just have to sprinkle about 2 cups of fresh sliced with a tablespoon or two of sugar let sit (aka “maceration”), then process (stick blender, Ninja, regular blender, Vitamix). I drained the syrup and reserved it for another use and just pureed the drained berries.

This recipe will make 10 – 3 ounce popsicles. Here is the popsicle maker I use:

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OK, now for the yogurt portion of this concoction, my measurements are approximate here because my yogurt was rather stiff…your’s may not be, so only add cream and or half and half enough to make like a thick pancake batter. I also added sugar since I like this stuff a bit on the sweet side, so I suggest you taste the yogurt part to see how it tastes to you. I used about 1/3 cup of sugar. YMMV.

The Recipe

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Strawberries & Cream Popsicles

Strawberries & Cream Popsicles are Heaven on a stick

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: strawberries & cream popsicles

Servings: 10

Calories: 154kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cups greek yogurt mine was non-fat
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light cream half and half or WHOLE milk
1/3 cup sugar may vary according to taste
1 1/2 cup canned strawberries drained (see above for fresh)
1-2 small mint leaves chopped optional

Instructions

In a small bowl, process the Greek yogurt and heavy cream with a stick blender. Add light cream and process until mixture is the consistency of thick pancake batter. Add sugar if using.
In a separate bowl, process the strawberries until pureed. Add mint if using.
Into each popsicle mold, add about 2 tbs of the yogurt mixture, then add about 1-2 tsp of the strawberry puree. Repeat, ending with a yogurt layer.
Add sticks (if your pop maker requires them) and freeze for at least 6 hrs, preferably overnight.

Nutrition

Strawberries & Cream Popsicles

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Pina Colada Popsicles

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Pina Colada Popsicles

Oh so good. Low cal and dairy free? Can you believe???

These were the maiden voyage of my new popsicle maker! Couldn’t wait to use it and I had all the ingredients on hand.

Gluten & Dairy Free

Here’s what I got after debating sizes (for the number of pops made) and prices. Got it at Amazon as they had the best price–on all popsicle makers.

Pina Colada Popsicles

1 ripe banana
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple plus the juice
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
2 tbs sugar (optional–taste and add if too tart)

Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and process with a stick blender until smooth. You may also use a regular blender, Ninja or Vitamix.

Pour into 3-oz popsicle molds. Makes about 12 3-oz popsicles. I used the Norpro Ice Pop Maker (with the blue plastic lid)

Add wood sticks (if your popsicle maker doesn’t have a stick/drip thingy attached).

Freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Pina Colada Popsicles

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