PREP: 20 minutes COOL: 1 hour FREEZE: 4 hours MAKES: 12 pops
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1. In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter is melted. Cover and let cool 1 hour.
2. Pour mixture into 12 freezer-pop molds or 3-oz. paper cups. Cover molds or cover cups with foil. Make a slit in the foil with a knife then add a wooden crafts stick. Freeze pops 4 hours or until firm.
Caramel Pudding Pops: Prepare as directed, except spoon ½ tsp. caramel ice cream topping onto each pop and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt before freezing.
Chocolate Pudding Pops: Prepare as directed, except stir 4 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate into the pudding with the butter and vanilla until melted.
PER POP, VANILLA OR VARIATIONS: 98 cal., 2 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 7 mg chol., 37 mg sodium, 17 g carb., 0 g fiber, 2 g pro.