I’m thinking of dedicating a week to frozen treats here on Food Doodles. I have a few more no-bake and frozen recipes lined up, but if you’d rather see something else, tell me and I’ll switch it up.
Recently I’ve been finding creative ways to put letters into snacks for my son, who has started recognizing letters everywhere. Popsicles with the first letter of his name — and those of his sisters, friends and grandparents — turned out to be a big hit. The trickiest part is keeping the fruit shapes in place while you assemble the popsicles, unless you thread them onto the stick before freezing.
Watermelon is especially easy to work with: the popsicle stick passes through the fruit without trouble. Just double-check that your letters are oriented correctly — learn from my upside-down mistake the first time!
Kiwis and other fruits with a firmer center take a bit more care. Make a small guide hole with a knife where the stick will go and hold the fruit steady as you insert the stick to prevent splitting. Then you’re good to go.
Pour juice around the suspended fruit and freeze for charming popsicles. Many fruits will work well — besides watermelon and kiwi, try different melons, mango, strawberries, or even small pineapple pieces if they fit your molds.
You can use any clear or lightly colored 100% fruit juice. For these I made a honey limeade (which can be diluted and enjoyed as a drink), but feel free to experiment. We usually prefer whole fruit at our house rather than juice, but in popsicle form a little juice seems perfectly reasonable. Next time I want to try pineapple juice for a tropical twist.
These would be fantastic for a party. Cut fruit into shapes that match your theme, or use cookie cutters that fit inside your popsicle molds to make the process even easier.
Honey Limeade Popsicles
Makes about 3 1/2 cups of popsicle base without fruit, or 5–6 popsicles with fruit included
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup honey
- Zest of 1/2 lime, very finely grated
- Fresh fruit cut into shapes
Combine warm water and honey, stirring until the honey dissolves. Add lime juice and zest, mix well, and allow the mixture to cool before filling popsicle molds. If you’re adding fruit, cut pieces thick enough to fit snugly in the mold and press them onto the popsicle sticks. Fill each mold about two-thirds full, insert the stick with the fruit, and adjust the liquid level if needed. Freeze completely for about four hours before serving.