STRAWBERRY CREAM ICE POPS
A cup of berries can be a delicious and simple dessert all of its own, but they’re even more tasty and fun blended up and frozen into ice pops. These easy to make Strawberry Cream Ice Pops from Half the Sugar, All the Love deliver a burst of delicious flavor and a nice boost of vitamin C, too (50% of your recommended daily intake in each serving). Let your kids mix it up with their favorite berries. This simple recipe is equally delicious with a combination of sweet blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
STRAWBERRY CREAM ICE POPS
Makes 6 ice pops
Naturally sweet and ripe strawberries make these creamy ice pops a delicious treat. We tried an all-fruit version of these pops but found they were a little too icy and tart. Adding whipping cream and just a touch of sugar helped tremendously with the texture. You will need standard 3-ounce ice pop molds and sticks for these.
Ours = 1 teaspoon added sugar
Theirs = 2 1/4 teaspoons added sugar
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered, or 3 cups unsweetened frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1. If using frozen fruit, measure what you need and thaw at room temperature until softened, about 30 minutes.
2. Place the fruit and sugar in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl to get any errant chunks. Let sit for 20 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve. Add the cream and pulse until incorporated. 3 Pour into ice pop molds, up to about D inch from the top, since the mixture expands when frozen. Freeze until thick and slushy, about 30 minutes, then place sticks into the molds. Continue freezing until solid, 4 hours or overnight.
Note: If you don’t have pop molds, you can use ice cube trays and toothpicks to make about eighteen 1-ounce mini pops. Pour the fruit mixture into ice cube trays, freeze until slushy enough to support the toothpicks, 30 minutes to 1 hour, then add the toothpicks and continue freezing. If using ice cube trays, the added sugar is reduced to about ¼ teaspoon per mini pop.
Variation: These pops work equally well with a mixture of berries. Try 1 cup each blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries with the cream and sugar for a triple berry treat.
What Kids Can Do
Kids can fill the molds.
Make Ahead
The pops can be stored, tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information (1 standard pop or 3 mini pops):
Calories: 74 | Added sugar: 1 teaspoon or 4g | Carbohydrates: 10g | Sodium: 4mg | Saturated fat: 28% of calories or 2g | Fiber: 2g | Protein: 1g
Excerpted from Half the Sugar, All the Love by Jennifer Tyler Lee and Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH. Photographs by Erin Scott. Workman Publishing ©2019.
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered, or 3 cups unsweetened frozen strawberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream
- If using frozen fruit, measure what you need and thaw at room temperature until softened, about 30 minutes.
- Place the fruit and sugar in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl to get any errant chunks. Let sit for 20 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve. Add the cream and pulse until incorporated.
- Pour into ice pop molds, up to about D inch from the top, since the mixture expands when frozen. Freeze until thick and slushy, about 30 minutes, then place sticks into the molds. Continue freezing until solid, 4 hours or overnight.
If you don’t have pop molds, you can use ice cube trays and toothpicks to make about eighteen 1-ounce mini pops. Pour the fruit mixture into ice cube trays, freeze until slushy enough to support the toothpicks, 30 minutes to 1 hour, then add the toothpicks and continue freezing. If using ice cube trays, the added sugar is reduced to about ¼ teaspoon per mini pop.
Variation
These pops work equally well with a mixture of berries. Try 1 cup each blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries with the cream and sugar for a triple berry treat.
What Kids Can Do
Kids can fill the molds.
Make Ahead
The pops can be stored, tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, in the freezer for up to 1 month.
