How to Make Popsicle Molds

Homemade frozen treats mean you control the sugar.

When you mold frozen treats at home, you control what goes into them. You can use almost any shaped plastic sand toy, gelatin mold or candy molds to make popsicles. Use wooden coffee stirrers or loop-style lollipop sticks with shallow molds and craft sticks or drinking straws with deeper ones, if you cannot find wooden craft sticks in the candy making supply section of your local craft supply house.

Things You'll Need

• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 gallon juice of your choice
• Shaped plastic sand toys, gelatin mold and candy molds
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Craft sticks, wooden coffee stirrers, looped lollipop sticks or plastic drinking straws

Instructions

1. Sprinkle one packet of unflavored gelatin into one cup of warm water and stir until dissolved. Mix dissolved gelatin into 1/2 gallon of your chosen favorite juice. The gelatin will give the juice a softer texture, preventing your popsicles from hardening into shaped ice cubes.

2. Mist your chosen mold with cooking spray. This will make it easier to remove your popsicles from the mold.

3. 

   New, clean children's sand toys make great popsicle molds.

   Lay the molds on a cookie sheet to make them easier to transfer to the refrigerator. Pour the gelled juice into each mold, filling them to the rim. Hold sticks next to the mold and trim as necessary so that they will be just long enough to grip.

4. Cover molds with plastic wrap held in place with tape. Make a slit in the plastic and insert sticks if you want them to stand upright. Otherwise, insert sticks into the juice at an angle. Craft sticks and straws work best when vertical. Looped lollipop sticks and coffee stirrers can be inserted at an angle. "If your liquid popsicle solution isn't thick enough to keep your stick standing upright in the freezer, let the solution freeze for an hour or so and then insert the sticks," suggests Mormon Chic's Senior Editor, Heather Hales.

5. Place filled molds in the freezer until solid. Remove from the mold by turning it upside down under warm water for a few seconds. Strike against the edge of a counter or table while pulling on the stick.

6. If desired, wrap each popsicle in a clear candy bag. Twist the bag shut around the stick and tie with your favorite color curling ribbon. Store in the freezer until needed.

References

• Mormon Chic: Summer Treats

Resources

• Blisstree: 32 Unique Homemade Popsicle Recipes