Other than frozen drinks (smoothies and frozen coffees specifically), I also love a good popcicle during a hot summer day. I found this lovely little pin that suggested Jell-O instead of juice for popcicles for little ones because it doesn’t melt, it just gets all Jell-O-y. (Yeah, that’s a word. I just said it, didn’t I?) So I tried them in an ice cube tray. They worked great… except that ice cubes are a little too big for tiny hands and mouths and there’s nothing to hang on to.
So I pulled out my handy Dollar Tree find.
And we had some moderate success… but they are nearly impossible to get them out! After running warm water over them (to the point they were basically melted) I had to poke holes in the bottom and blow them out of the mold! Seriously, there has to be a better way.
Naturally, that meant a trip to Walmart. I have found several ok options, but zero practical ways to get them out of the silly mold! Honestly, who hasn’t made a silicone mold for popsicle yet? Or at least one with a silicone tip that can be used to push them out!? I suppose I need to just go visit Bed Bath and Beyond. They have everything.
Anyways, I found this guy:
The Sip-A-Pop? I don’t know. I decided it looked ok and it was a dollar (you know since summer stuff is now on clearance and school supplies are out). Maybe I can squeeze the sides a little to help them come out. Anyways, I decided to try pudding rather than Jell-O this time. Not apples to apples, but hey, maybe I’ll have success with these.
Also, I just thought I’d share this cool tip for those of you like me who hate dirtying kitchen appliances and would rather mix by hand than drag out the mixer. The box actually suggest for a quicker process to put 2 c. of milk and the pudding mix in a 1 quart container, seal tightly and shake! What? How have I never made pudding like this before? Sorry mixer, you’re going to stay in the cabinet a little more now.
90 seconds (give or take, who’s counting… oh, that’s right, I was supposed to be… oops) later and perfectly mixed pudding. Poured into the mold and even had a bit left over. Now to wait until frozen!
These actually came out fairly easily with a little warm water and some persuasion. The refroze nicely and have a lovely creamy texture just like a pudding pop should! In other news, I tried jell-O pops again and had the same issue getting them out… in a different tray (’cause remember the other one has holes in it now). The moral of the story? Pudding = Good, Jell-O = Not So Good. Don’t worry guys, I’m working on a revised strategy for extracting Jello-O pops. And I haven’t forgotten about the frozen coffee either. It’s coming. I promise.