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Prep time
5 hours 30 minutes
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Cook time
30 minutes
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makes
6 to 8 popsicles
Author Notes
Homemade popsicles are so easy to make—but with just a little extra effort they can become showstopper-level extraordinary. These popsicles take two simple bases, and swirl them together to make one of the dreamiest popsicles/ice cream bars ever. The first base is a homemade fruit purée—this is as simple as cooking fruit and sugar, then straining it to make a smooth, flavorful purée. The second component is a no-churn ice cream base. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Be sure to watch the ice cream episode of Bake it Up a Notch for more info and recipes.) The two are partially folded together to create a somewhat combined, gorgeously swirly effect full of bright natural fruit colors juxtaposed with creamy vanilla ice cream.
You can enjoy these creamsicles all summer long because you can make them with just about any kind of fruit you can think of! Berries and pitted stone fruit—like cherries, plums, or peaches—work beautifully. Pineapple and mango are two other favorites; mix and match your favorite fruits to make a killer flavor combination all your own. Before you begin making the fruit purée, prepare the fruit if needed: Peel it, then remove any pits or large seeds. Cut larger fruit into bite-sized pieces (small fruit, like blueberries, can be left whole). For a more pronounced swirl, reserve about ¼ of the purée before folding the rest to the ice cream base. Fill the molds about ⅓ of the way, then add a little purée. Repeat until the molds are full. Use a skewer (or popsicle stick) to gently swirl the purée inside the mold; this will leave a few larger, more pronounced streaks.
The exact number of popsicles this recipe will make will depend on the size of your molds. It will make 6 to 8 larger popsicles. If you have two molds, you can double the recipe, and you won’t be sorry you did. If you don’t have molds, you can also make these in small paper cups. You’ll get more like 10 to 12 slightly smaller, delightfully fatter popsicles instead. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
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Swirly Fruit Creamsicles
Ingredients
- For the fruit purée:
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1 pound
(454 grams) fresh fruit of your choice
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2 tablespoons
(15 grams) freshly squeezed lemon juice
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3 tablespoons
(37 grams) granulated sugar
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1/4 teaspoon
(1 gram) fine sea salt
- For the no-churn ice cream & assembly:
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3/4 cup
(198 grams) sweetened condensed milk
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2 tablespoons
(30 grams) sour cream
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1 1/2 teaspoons
(7 grams) vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla bean paste
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1/2 teaspoon
(2 grams) fine sea salt
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1 1/4 cups
(295 grams) heavy cream
Directions
- For the fruit purée:
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Make room in your freezer for your popsicle molds.
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In a medium pot, toss the fruit and lemon juice to combine. Add the sugar and salt and mix to combine and coat. Place on the stovetop over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar completely dissolves and the fruit begins to release juices, and eventually comes to a simmer.
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Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is either broken down or very, very soft, 15 to 18 minutes. As the fruit gets softer, you can use the back of your stirring spoon/spatula, or a handheld potato masher to gently mash the fruit.
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Place a strainer over a large heat-safe liquid measuring cup. Pour the fruit mixture into the strainer—working in batches if needed. Use your spatula to press the mixture through the strainer (the goal is to get absolutely everything through the strainer that you can) just leaving behind any tough fibers or seeds.
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Check the liquid measuring cup you strained into; you should have about ¾ cup (175 milliliters) of purée. If you have more than this, return the mixture to the pot you were cooking in (no need to wash it first) and bring the strained fruit mixture back to a simmer over low heat. Continue to simmer until the mixture reduces (yielding ¾ cup) about 15 minutes, depending on how much extra liquid you have. When you have the right amount, let the mixture cool to room temperature (at least 15 minutes; you can refrigerate for up to 3 days before making your popsicles).
- For the no-churn ice cream & assembly:
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In a medium bowl, stir the condensed milk, sour cream, vanilla, and salt to combine.
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Whip the cream (by hand or in an electric mixer) to medium peaks, then add about ½ of this mixture to the sweetened condensed milk and mix to combine. Add the remaining cream and fold to combine.
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Add the fruit purée (for a more pronounced swirl, refer to the instructions in the headnote). Drizzle about the cooled fruit purée over the surface of the whipped cream, then gently fold a few times to loosely swirl to combine. You don’t need to fold this too much—you want to see visible streaks and stripes of purée in the cream mixture.
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Gently spoon this mixture to the top edge of your popsicle molds—you can tap the mold on the counter a few times as you work to remove large air bubbles and fill the molds more uniformly. Place the popsicle sticks into the center of each one, and transfer to the freezer. Freeze until firm, at least 5 hours, and up to overnight.
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To unmold, dip the base of the popsicle molds in warm water (or run them carefully under warm water in the sink). This will slightly melt the exterior, allowing you to pull the popsicles out. Store in an airtight container—use pieces of wax paper or parchment paper to separate multiple layers of popsicles.
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
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