One of the biggest challenges in re-creating the classic Creamsicle at home was devising a way to coat a solid cylinder of ice cream with liquid. If you’ve got a Zoku maker or other quick-freeze contraption, it’s a breeze. But these machines are even less versatile than an ice cream maker, and I can already hear the complaints about how I’ve forced you to fill cabinets with too many weird tools.
Enter the simple Dixie cup. It comes in multiple sizes, stacks easier than a can of Pringles, and makes it easy to create juice-layered pops in any flavor. The orange-and-vanilla combo can’t be beat, but I’d never say no to a cherry or lime version.
YIELD: 6 Popsicles
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, plus 2 to 6 hours chilling time
DIFFICULTY: 2
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: ice cream maker, 3-ounce Dixie cups, 5-ounce Dixie cups, Popsicle sticks
VANILLA ICE CREAM
3 cups light cream or whipping cream
1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
ORANGE LAYER
1-1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, from 4 to 5 oranges
1-1/2 teaspoons half and half
1-1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar
MAKE THE VANILLA ICE CREAM BASE:
Bring the cream to a bare simmer in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, just until it is steaming and small bubbles form around the edges. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Transfer to a clean bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until fully chilled (or use the quick-cool method, page 188). When the ice cream base is fully chilled, freeze it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it has completed its cycle the ice cream will have the consistency of soft-serve.
ASSEMBLE THE POPSICLES:
Completely fill 6 (3-ounce) Dixie cups with the ice cream, insert Popsicle sticks, and freeze for 2 hours until fully hardened.
While the vanilla layer chills, whisk the orange juice, half and half, and powdered sugar together in a liquid measuring cup. Set 6 (5-ounce) Dixie cups on a small, freezer-safe plate or baking sheet and pour 1/4 cup of the orange juice mixture into each cup.
Peel the Dixie cups off the frozen ice cream and insert the pops into the orange juice–filled Dixie cups, pushing down to displace the juice and cover the ice cream entirely. Add more juice to cover as necessary. You may have to weigh the ice cream down with an additional baking sheet and bag of frozen peas to make sure the vanilla layer stays submerged.
Freeze for 4 hours, until the juice is fully hardened. Peel the Dixie cups off before serving.
Store the Popsicles in the freezer in an airtight container for up to a month.
STICK IT TO ME
You’d think that supermarkets would stock Popsicle sticks next to the Dixie cups each summer, anticipating that hordes of families would bum-rush the aisles with ice cream recipes in hand. Sadly, most grocery stores don’t have them. Go to your local craft store, where you can buy Popsicle sticks by the hundreds and be set for life.