As a kid, many of my fondest summer memories were made at the beach, covered with sand, sticky fingers holding on tightly to a popsicle. The double packs that were sold at the beach were always a great way to make a new friend, provided you had the right flavor—red and purple were easy to share; yellow and green were way less popular.
Now as an adult, I have to admit my tastes have matured a bit (if not my friend-making techniques), and as a result I have ventured far beyond the popsicle flavors most readily identified by color. Below you will find five delightfully sophisticated frozen treat recipes to share (or not!).
A few recipe notes: you may need to adjust total quantities to fit your personal popsicle maker of choice; there are ton of different ones out there and they’re all different. Not all molds even require sticks, but if yours do, many people prefer to let their pops freeze for about 30 minutes before inserting the sticks.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana pops
1 c. milk of choice
3/4 c. plain full fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 ripe bananas
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbs. peanut butter or nut butter of choice
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions: Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and insert the popsicle sticks. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
Mojito Poptails
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar
20 mint leaves, plus more to garnish
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. rum
Directions: In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat and stir in mint leaves. Cover and steep until cool.
In a pourable container, combine mint syrup, lime juice and rum. Pour mixture into popsicle molds, adding fresh mint leaves into each one. Freeze for at least 6 hours or until solid.
London Fogsicles
1 c. cream
2 c. whole milk
1/2 c. honey or agave nectar
2 tsp. vanilla bean extract (or seeds of two vanilla beans)
3 Tbs. Rishi Earl Grey Lavender tea
Directions: Place milk, cream, honey and tea in a saucepan and heat on low until steaming.
Add vanilla and remove from heat. Allow to cool until almost room temperature.
Strain mixture into a pouring container to remove tea. Pour mixture into molds, add popsicle sticks and freeze overnight.
Pink Coconut Lemonade Pops
2 c. coconut water
2 c. pink lemonade
zest of 1 lemon
1 strawberry for each popsicle
Directions: Combine coconut water and pink lemonade and set aside. Then, zest lemon and add a pinch to each mold. Slice strawberries lengthwise and place in molds. Pour your coconut-lemonade mixture in, insert popsicle sticks and freeze 4-6 hours until solid.
Iced Coffee Popsicles
1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
4 Tbs. honey (or less as desired)
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/2–2 c. brewed, black coffee, cooled
Directions: Blend the coconut milk, honey and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Divide the coffee among 8 popsicle molds, filling 1/3 of the way up. Pour the coconut milk over the coffee. Insert the popsicle sticks and freeze until firm, about 6 hours.
Mimosa Poptails
2 1/2 c. orange juice (or substitute with fruit juice of choice!)
1 bottle chilled sparkling wine of choice
Directions: Fill each mold halfway with sparkling wine and allow bubbles to subside. Top with orange juice, insert popsicle sticks and freeze for at least 6 hours or until solid.
