Christine Chitnis has a mouth-watering book called Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet. It’s all about making yummy frozen treats — like ice pops, slushies, and floats — without refined sugars. There are 75 recipes, including vegan and dairy-free options too, and the photos are gorgeous.
Christine sent over a recipe from the book called Firecracker Pops (find it below). Have you ever made popsicles at home? Do you have a favorite recipe or fruit combo? And did you ever make them as a kid? Also, have you ever tried the Zoku? I haven’t, but friends swear by it. Apparently it freezes popsicles super fast.
Firecracker Popsicle Recipe
Makes 12 pops
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 frozen bananas
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt, divided
1/2 cup almond milk, homemade (recipe included in book) or store-bought
1 tablespoon honey, divided
1 cup frozen raspberries
Steps:
1. In a blender, combine the frozen blueberries, 1 banana, 1/2 cup of the yogurt, 1/4 cup of the almond milk, and 1/2 tablespoon of the honey and blend until smooth. Pour into a pitcher or glass measuring cup and give your blender a quick rinse.
2. Combine the frozen raspberries and the remaining banana, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup almond milk, and 1/2 tablespoon honey in the rinsed-out blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour a small amount of the raspberry mixture into your pop molds, followed by a small amount of the blueberry mixture and alternate until the molds are full. For the most part the stripes will hold their place, as the mixture will be thick (work quickly before they have a chance to thaw and become runny); however, if you want perfect stripes, you can stick the molds in the freezer for 30 minutes after every stripe to set the color before adding the next stripe. Insert sticks and freeze for at least 3 to 4 hours, until hardened.
Credits: Recipe from Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet by Christine Chitnis © 2016 by Christine Chitnis. Recipe and images reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.roostbooks.com.
Oh my goodness yes. I remember making those ice cube pops. In the 70s that little Time for Timer man from Saturday morning cartoon interstitials showed how to make them. My mom also had Tupperware Popsicle molds. I think we mostly used Kool Ade. So healthy! Ha! I will definitely check this book out, it sounds wonderful.
Those are gorgeous. I can’t wait to make them. These (from Fany Gerson’s Paletas)
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/08/key-lime-pie-popsicles/#comment-9196396
are our super favorites, and the molds + the book are a great present for Summer birthday parties. We never had anything so fancy, and I, too, grew up with crooked toothpicks in frozen blocks of orange juice from concentrate. :)
Oh my gosh, I still love making popsicles. We always made them with juice or kool-aid in the cylindrical tupperware molds which we always seemed to lose the sticks for. Then a friend showed me how to make them with jello and juice…no more drippy slushy popsicles. My 20 something daughters still love them; however, now I think they are more adept at making jello shots! LOL
This is a beautiful book so be sure and buy two…one for yourself and one for a special hostess gift for all those summer get-togethers. I find the traditional molds a bit big for children and adults. I use double shot glasses with the traditional wooden popsicle sticks. They are a great size for kids and b/c my adult pops often contain coffee or booze, they are appropriately sized as well. Popsicles never cease to delight folks of all ages and Christine has it all happening.
I also live in Oakland. Where did you get your Popsicle molds?
Thanks so much for the feature! I love the pictures that you chose- they make me so excited for summer here in New England!
Cynthia- thank you so much for your sweet comment! I’d like to think the book makes a great hostess gift- who doesn’t love ice cream and pops!? And you are totally right about shot glasses (or dixie cups)- they make perfectly sized pops for both adults and children.
Your firecracker pops are as fun to make as they are to eat! The recipe is fantastic, and the end result is a treat that’s sure to bring joy to any party.