August 9, 2011
I found these funky (and rather suggestive) little ice trays at Smart and Final and bought them because, well, they were pretty inexpensive and I figured I could think of something fun to do with them for the kids. In the week since, I’ve made popsicles twice: Once with this delicious fudgesicle recipe, and once with fresh nectarine puree. The bottom section of the trays are flexible so you can pop out the contents easily which is a feature we have all come to enjoy. I love making homemade ice pops in the summertime, and these rounded ice cube trays make adorable mini-sized delights.
My lovely kitchen assistant pureed fresh nectarines in my centrifugal juicer. Don’t worry, her digits are still intact!
Then, I poured the juice into the trays–no sugar added. I think fresh, seasonal fruit is plenty sweet on its own.
We chilled the puree for about 30 minutes in the freezer before adding the cute mini popsicle sticks (I found mine at Michael’s). They took approximately 2 hours to freeze solid before we popped them out.
For the fudge popsicles, I used a delicious recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen. It was smooth, creamy, and wonderfully “fudgy.” The kids were totally stoked! Ok, I admit the adults were pretty thrilled too.
I served this batch in a small tin pail lined with parchment for a fun outdoor after dinner treat.
