Fresh Squeezed Orange Popsicles

When I was a kid I would walk to my grandparents' house after elementary school. They had a huge back yard full of citrus trees, so there were always oranges to snack on. In warm months (er... all year in CA) my grandma would squeeze oranges, mix the juice with sticky corn syrup, and turn them into the stickiest, sweetest, most delicious popsicles ever. It was like licking orange juice concentrate and I'm not describing that as a bad thing.



I've been lusting over popsicle molds for months now, but have not found any in stores. Target does NOT have popsicle molds! Ridiculous. However, I ran into a set with reusable sticks for $2.99 at Kmart and bought two sets.



Commence popsicle season. Here are two ways to enjoy popsicles with fresh OJ, hold the corn syrup.

A few tips first:

1. Get an electric juicer. This will save your wrists from the juicing. It takes about 10-12 oranges to make 8 popsicles, so unless you want crazy strong forearms, just use an electric juicer. Or I suppose you could buy your OJ, but I might shun you.



2. You need to know how much juice you need for your molds. Fill your popsicle molds with water, then dump that into a measuring cup. Now you know how much liquid you need! No guesswork or waste involved!



3. And finally, make freezer space BEFORE you start.




Orange Vanilla Agave Popsicles


1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed OJ
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Agave likes to separate, so whisk well!



Pour into molds.



Freeze for 4+ hours.

And if you're feeling a bit tropical....

Coconut Orange Pops


1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed OJ
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1/3 c. shredded sweetened coconut flakes

Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into molds.



Freeze for 4+ hours.

To release popsicles, fill a sink with hot water and dip the molds in the hot water for a few seconds, or until the pops release!

Tastes like summer!