I don’t know what took summer so long to arrive this year, but for Texas, we’ve been having pretty okay weather until this past week. Now the true Texas summer has started to set in with over 100 degree temps. I know some of my friends have been melting for weeks.
I certainly don’t like the heat and I’m definitely looking forward to fall, but for now, I have to deal with these hot, hot days.
Nothing beats the heat better than ice cream and popsicles.
For days, Little Mister will come up to my husband and I randomly and go, “Ice cream cone?” And then we’ve had to explain to him that, no, we don’t have any ice cream cones. So sorry about that, and he would walk away disappointed, like we took away his favorite toy.
We have the self-proclaimed ice cream gene. I know it isn’t healthy, but there is nothing I like better than a cold cup of ice cream, preferably sweet cream or cookie dough. Even better if it comes as a float with the slightly crunchy outside and melty inside.
When it comes to my kids though, I like to have a slightly healthier outlook on life. I try to find things that aren’t straight sugar. At least that way I feel a little less guilty about what I’m feeding them.
One of my favorite kinds of ice creams is orange cremesicle. When I was pregnant with Little Mister, one of the only things I craved was orange cremesicles. I would send my husband out for them late at night right before I was going to go to bed. So when I started trying to figure out an orange cremesicle recipe that was delicious and at least a little healthy, I knew it would be a hit with my kids.
The plus about these orange cremesicles is that they are relatively healthy. They don’t have sugar in them, instead being sweetened using honey. They have orange juice with is essentially like drinking a fruit, right? All in all, I’m going to call this a win.
I was also able to have the kids help me make them. Little Mister helped pour in the cream and orange juice while Little Miss helped stir it all together. The only hard part was trying to explain to the kids that they couldn’t have the popsicles right away because they needed to freeze for a little while. Luckily, I was able to distract them with a dance party and their minds got going on other things. Then, it was a pleasant surprise when we were able to actually eat them!
Supplies:
- Popsicle molds – I like this Zoku Popsicle Mold best.
Our popsicle mold is made by Koju but sadly, they no longer make it. This one by Zoku is almost exactly the same. I’ve tried several kinds and this kind of mold is by far the best. The sticks have a piece that keeps the melting popsicle from getting all over your hands and the molds come out individually so you don’t have to try to maneuver several to get out one. - Bowl with a spout – This is particularly helpful when trying to pour the mixture into the molds.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Orange Juice
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 3 Tbsp Honey
- ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ Tsp Orange Extract
Directions:
1. Pour orange juice and cream into a mixing bowl. We used the pulp free orange juice, but using one with some pulp might make it more orangey tasting.
2. Add honey and extracts to the juice and cream in the bowl.
3. Using a whisk, stir together all ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour mixture into molds and follow instructions for using your particular popsicle molds. The Koji popsicle molds have a line that they instruction to fill to and then insert the stick. For more molds, you do not want to fill all the way to the top of the mold, so keep that in mind.
5. Freeze for several hours until firm. Overnight is best.
6. To remove popsicles from mold, run the mold under running water for a few minutes and then carefully slide out. If popsicle will not slide out, return it back under water for a little longer.
7. Enjoy!
We will definitely be making these popsicles again while the weather is still hot. They were easy, the kids had fun making them and even more fun devouring them. Yes, they get a little messy, melting quickly in the heat, so my recommendation is to eat them outside. But what is summer as a kid without a few sticky fingers from eating ice cream and popsicles?
Happy summer!