Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Strawberry-Watermelon Yogurt Ice Pops

I'm having the toughest time finding ice-pop molds. I have shopped at countless stores, looked through I don't know how many websites, I can't find the one I want at an affordable price that wouldn't cost me more in shipping and taxes than the actual price of the mold! It doesn't help that I want the Norpro Popsicle Maker. No other one will do. I love the shape and design of it. There's still one store I want to go see and if I don't find it there, I'm giving up.

Of course, lack of an ice pop mold hasn't stopped me from making some anyway. The latest issue of Ricardo Magazine is chock full of ice pop recipes and ideas on how to shape them. My favorite way is to use a loaf pan and wooden popsicle sticks. I lined my pan with plastic wrap to make sure I could unmold my pops easily and voilà! ice pops! I adapted a recipe from Coup de Pouce Magazine and used the fruit I had on hand to make wonderful yogurt pops. They are delicious! I can't wait to try many other variations.
I've even served these for breakfast to the kids, they couldn't believe they were having popsicles for breakfast! Hey, it's no worse than a bowl of yogurt with some fruit, right? ;) Bring on the heat!

EDIT: It was brought to my attention by a commenter that I had omitted to explain how to get the popsicle sticks to stand up straight in the loaf pan. I guess I was so excited to share this recipe with you guys, I forgot about that part! I've edited the recipe with the proper explanations, I'm sorry for any inconvenience this slip-up may have caused.

EDIT #2: For those of you wondering where to get food-safe popsicle sticks, I get mine at a craft store. As long as they're plain and not colored, they should be food safe. Here's a link on the subject.


Strawberry-Watermelon Yogurt Ice Pops

2 cups vanilla yogurt (not non-fat)
2 cups strawberries, sliced (fresh or frozen)
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Watermelon cubes (about 20 cubes, 1/2-inch each)
8 to 10 wooden popsicle sticks

Prepare a loaf pan by lining it with plastic wrap. Have your popsicle sticks on hand.

In a blender combine the yogurt, strawberries, lime juice and zest. Puree until well combined. Pour the yogurt blend into your prepared pan. Drop the watermelon cubes into the mixture, making sure there are a few cubes in each pop. Cover the pan with 2 or 3 layers of plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the top of the yogurt mixture. With the tip of a sharp knife, make incisions where you want your popsicle sticks to go, spacing them evenly. Place the popsicle sticks into the holes, standing them up straight. Freeze for about 6 hours, until the pops are completely frozen.

When you want to serve your pops, take the pan and run warm water over it to loosen the edges. Take the plastic wrap and lift the frozen "loaf" out of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut in between the popsicle sticks. There you have it, Strawberry-Watermelon Yogurt Ice Pops!

Note: If you use a yogurt with a low-fat content the popsicles will be a bit icy and have a tendency to break easily. They're just as good, just a bit fragile.

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30 comments:

Elle said...

Oh, they look so good! I love how big they are, and I'm sure the kids would, too. Now you've got me thinking of buying some molds... ;)

grace said...

what a great idea for the mold-less among us! and the strawberry-watermelon combination is interesting and uniquely refreshing, i'm sure!

Adriana said...

i totally love this idea! i don't have popsicle molds and this would work perfectly! plus i love the flavor combination

Mo said...

Brilliant! :)

Paty said...

It is soooo difficult to find pop molds! Me too I went to severals places (in Montreal) .. Sometimes they haven't received them yet, other times they were all gone.. How come they don't have more? Anyway.. I use empty yogurt containers. But I really like your idea! And the recipe as well. Thanks!

Mike said...

I'll be making these tonight! Thanks for sharing :)

MaryWynn said...

Nice. I'll be doing this as soon as my freezer has room.

If you have a bowl of hot water to hand while slicing it'll help you get through the more finicky ones I imagine. Just dip, wipe, cut, repeat.

Unknown said...

I love it! Great idea.

Chris said...

I'd suggest looking on Amazon.com for ice pop / popsicle molds. They have a great selection, and most of them are available with free shipping if your order total is at least $25.

You specifically mentioned Norpro, and I'm sure that Amazon has at least a few pop molds of that brand.

Unknown said...

Great idea and beautiful pics!

oneordinaryday said...

Saw you at the kitchn and I think this is just a great idea. So glad you shared it... I'll be making popsicles asap!

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous idea and one I can't wait to try!

Lucie said...

Thank you so much for sharing this idea! I can finally make popsicles...your yogurt version looks to die for and perfect for this hot weather!

Anonymous said...

How do you get the sticks to stand up straight and evenly spaced?

Brilynn said...

During the summer I always freeze watermelon chunks to eat on hot days, but the addition of strawberry and yogurt takes it to a whole other level!

Anonymous said...

Looking at the Norpro popsicle maker (I am drooling over that one too), and coming back to look at your pictures, I realized that you could actually make more than one row of popsicles, and effectively make your own similar tot he Norpro ones. I'm thinking of how they're all in neat little squares, rather than one wide, somewhat awkward slice. No offense intended: I have several kids, some of whom are still very small, and I am thinking how the smaller, less-bulky popsicles would be easier to eat that a wide one with a stick in the middle.

I also have a question for you: Where do you get your popsicle sticks? I've been looking all over the place, and am having a hard time finding affordable ones that are food-safe.

Thanks so much for posting this! I will *definitely* be giving this method a try-- TODAY!

True Southern Elegance said...

Love this recipe. Will try it this weekend!!

Not sure if you have Ross stores in Canada, but that's were I purchased my Norpro Frozen Ice Pop Maker two weeks ago for $11.99.

julia said...

very nice!

Kim (Liv Life) said...

These look fantastic! We happen to have half of a large watermelon sitting here wondering what we will do with it... I think I found it.

Kiki said...

That ice cream looks delicious! BTW - I bought my popsicle molds at IKEA for 99 cents. They sell them every summer.

Merut said...

This looks sooooo good, and not too difficult. I might have to try these out because I am constantly craving cold and sweet things. Thanks!

Carolyn Jung said...

What a genius idea to do this in a loaf pan, then to cut out the pops. Makes it so much easier to store in the freezer that way, too.

oak dining table said...

I remember my childhood with these pops! I miss making these.

Damaris @Kitchen Corners said...

You've just opened up a whole new world to me and now I am full of ideas on flavors to make using your loaf pan method. Thanks! I'm going to make this for my son's preschool party.

So, I know you said you don't want to spend a lot of money on an popsicle mold but if you decide to spend the money go for the zoku. It makes popsicles in less than 7 minutes. We seriously use it all the time.

Glad I stumbled upon your blog.

kilgore said...

I think this is brilliant, but you could also use the same popsicle sticks and dixie cups. I like this idea better though because you don't have to balance a million little cups in the freezer!

Thepearsonfamilee said...

I just bought a torpor popcicle maker T tjmaxx for $9.99...we used them when our children were young. They are the best!

Maddie said...

Wow these yogurt pops look amazing! And I love your whole blog! Please check out my blog: http://sweeetcooker.blogspot.com/
I was also wondering if you wouldn’t mind mentioning me on your blog? If you want I could mention you on my blog as well. It would me a lot to me because I don’t have many followers or supporters.
Thank you, Maddie

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Anna Schafer said...

3 tablespoons of REAL maple syrup. Not the fake stuff that is just rice syrup with maple flavoringall natural ice pops

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