Children of any age know the knack of making frozen fruit pops quickly disappear. - LIFESTYLE MEDIA GROUP/DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
FREEZE FRESH fruit on a stick, and even youngsters who normally don't warm up to fruit will break out into smiles. While children relish fruit pops because they taste great and are fun to eat, cooks concerned with their nutrition appreciate that fresh, ripe fruit is the main ingredient in the ice pops below. As a windfall, these treats are free of artificial colourings or flavourings, minimally sweetened and require no cooking.
Except for the frozen banana pops, all the recipes given here require moulds to shape them for freezing. Inexpensive moulds in a variety of styles have a plastic or metal base to keep the filled moulds upright and to hold the handles (wooden or plastic sticks) in place during freezing.
SUCCESS TIP:
If you don't have plastic moulds for making ice pops, substitute flat-bottomed paper drinking cups with a capacity of 3, 4 or 5 ounces each.
Wooden ice cream sticks can be used for handles, but wait to insert them until the fruit mixture has frozen to a slush thick enough to hold the sticks upright.
Banana-Nut Pops
This recipe is simple enough for young children to make with only a modicum of supervision. Shredded coconut, puffed dry cereal or other coatings can be substituted for the nuts, if desired.
1/4 cup honey, or as needed
1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts or other chopped nuts
3 large, firm bananas
6 wooden ice cream sticks
METHOD
1. Pour honey on to a plate. Pour chopped nuts on to a second plate. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Peel bananas and halve them crosswise. Insert a stick into the cut end of each banana half and push it in half the length of the fruit.
2. Holding a banana half by its stick, roll it in the honey, coating it lightly and allowing any excess honey to drip back onto the plate. Then roll the honey-coated banana in the chopped nuts. Place banana on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining banana halves.
3. Freeze bananas until hard. Remove bananas from freezer; wrap each one in plastic film and place in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag before returning to freezer.
Makes 6 banana pops.
Fruit and Yoghurt Pops
Match the yoghurt flavour to the fruit or choose complementary flavours and contrasting colours of yoghurt and fruit. For visual interest, stir a handful of diced fruits into the fruit-and-yoghurt mixture before filling the moulds. To prepare the pureed fruit, peel and seed the fruit, if necessary, and use a food processor or blender to puree it to a smooth consistency.
2 cups yoghurt, any flavour
1 cup pureed fresh fruits, such as ripe bananas, papaya or mango
METHOD
Mix yoghurt with fruit. Pour into plastic moulds or small paper cups. If using wooden sticks for handles, freeze until mushy before inserting sticks. Freeze until pops are hard.
Makes 6 to 12 pops, depending on size of moulds.
Strawberry Ice Pops
This recipe is also suitable for kiwi, mango and papaya.
2 cups stemmed fresh ripe strawberries, washed and well-drained
1 tbs. frozen apple or
orange juice concentrate
METHOD
Place strawberries and frozen juice concentrate in blender or food processor. Blend or process until fruit is pureed. Spoon into moulds. If using wooden sticks for handles, freeze until mushy before inserting sticks. Freeze until pops are hard
Makes 4 to 8 pops, depending on size of moulds.
Ice Pops with Frozen Fruit
2 cups frozen strawberries, raspberries, peaches or mixed fruits (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 cup water or apple juice
1 tbs. sugar (optional)
METHOD
Thaw fruit just enough to separate into several large pieces. In a blender or food processor, combine water and sugar, if used; blend or process to dissolve sugar. Add fruit and blend or process to mix. Pour into moulds. If using wooden sticks for handles, freeze until mushy before inserting sticks. Freeze until pops are hard.
Makes 6 to 12 pops, depending on size of moulds.
