The Popsicle Project: A Girl, A Blender and Lots of Frozen Treats

Kelso Cooper

Banana-mango-strawberry-papaya popsicle, anyone?

​Earlier this summer I was invited to a potluck; not knowing what to bring I hit the internet searching for ideas. I wanted to make something simple that everyone would like and being a professional crafter I knew that if it didn't also look great the jokes would be endless. After all, I did make macaroni necklace for a friend recently--and by "necklace" I mean full on tribal style collar--so a macaroni salad of some kind would just not do.

In my searches I found that homemade popsicles are pretty hip right now and the molds are everywhere from the dollar section at the local craft store to this $50 insta-freeze version from Williams-Sonoma. I decided on popsicles--a fresh raspberry vanilla recipe--and went on my way. While I got many compliments on both the look and taste (and the sign I crafted to sit on the table with the food since they were in the freezer) I knew I wanted to make some changes.

After the jump: Favorite recipes, popsicle tips and more! 

Somewhere along the line my eyes lit up saying "OF COURSE... fresh fruit popsicles!" I'm sure every kid has made orange juice and probably every other type of juice popsicles but they're always so hard and crystal-y that it's less tasty and more just fun to do. I, of course, was looking for tasty-fun so I experimented with fresh fruits, which is great because there are no unnecessary added flavors or sugars that you'll find in most store bought versions. Yogurt also became a big part of my mix but use organic so that there are no added flavors there either. Some fruits blend up nice and thick (mango, papaya, banana, etc) and make frozen pops a bit softer but the combination of fresh fruit and yogurt, that I now use every time, makes them soft and smooth rather than the hard crystals of my childhood (some things you just don't want back.)

Kelso Cooper

The ingredients!

​Popsicle mixing is kind of like an experiment which is why I call it "The Popsicle Project." You try a little bit of this, some of that and maybe even more of this. Fruits are all different sizes so these recipes are all kind of approximations, I could tell you to get a large banana or a medium sized mango but you'll also have to go with what's available so that's not always possible. I'd recommend adding the majority of the fruit then doing a little taste test. If it taste like banana for example (that one tends to take over) just add the rest of your fruits and maybe a bit more to make up for the missing banana. But if it's Taste Test Success, blend in your remaining fruit and move along your way. It's always a good idea to test before freezing so you'll be satisfied with the end result. I've tested and tried multiple different flavor combinations at this point; below are a few of my favorites.Each recipe makes 4 pops. Freeze for 4-5 hours until firm, run molds under warm water to remove frozen pops. Inaddition to the ingredients listed with each recipe, you'll need...


• Blender or food processer
• Funnel (optional) 

• Pop molds

Banana Mango Strawberry Papaya
(This one makes me say "Bango Strapaya") 


Kelso Cooper

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    •    Blend orange juice, peach, banana and yogurt until mostly smooth.
    •    Pour into molds leaving room for a few blueberries.
    •    Add 7-10 blueberries to tops remembering to leave room for sticks.
    •    Add sticks and freeze.

Kelso Cooper

The prep.

​There are a ridiculous amount of combos you can make when you think about all the different fruit flavors and layering techniques you can use. A simple one flavor pop is refreshing in this heat wave but you can add fruit slices or even a second or third layer to make them pretty. Sometimes the layers not only look nice but also add a different texture like the strawberry layer in the Mango Strawberry Blueberry. That middle layer may look similar to the rest of the pop but the texture is different and a noticeable change while eating.