Pudding Pops

Do you remember Jello Pudding Pops? I am definitely not a pudding person because the lack of texture just doesn't appeal to me. But Jello Pudding Pops were basically chewable pudding! Genius. Also, they had that very thin icey outer coating that only lasted for about 5 seconds after you opened the wrap... Yum

These pudding pops taste nothing like Jello Pudding Pops. They are still really good though, and the best part is you can make any flavor you want (I'm going to make cheesecake next time). I was curious, so I compared the ingredients in Jello pudding and Jello Pudding Pops, and surprisingly they did not contain similar ingredients. Not really a big shocker then that the homemade version would be different.

I used a recipe found here at Sandy Toes and Popsicles. These were very cute and layered to look like rainbows. First off, the recipe says to make these in 5 oz. cups. In the spirit of trying a recipe before I alter it, I went ahead with the recommendation. I understand that in order to get big stripes you would need the larger cups, but these are really really big. The Princess didn't come close to finishing hers, even though she loved it. Just way to much. After eating it for 15 minutes she gave up. I did not need a ton of popsicles so i did half the recipe and it still made 6 5 oz cups full. Next time I'll still half the recipe but make them in the small Dixie cups or in our popsicle molds.

Ingredients:
2 large (5.1 oz) boxes pudding mix in a light color
Milk
Food coloring
Popsicle sticks
Foil

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Separate pudding into small dishes and add food coloring to reach desired hues. The Princess decided she would rather only use her favorite colors of pink, purple and blue. Also, it's apparently not a party unless there are sprinkles involved. I couldn't come up with a reason why not, so we made color challenged sprinkled rainbows. After mixing two shades of each color. I added sprinkles to the lightest three.

By the time the colors have been mixed, the pudding should be set enough to spoon or pour into cups. I had a little helper, so we spooned. Place one color on top of the other in rainbow or desired pattern. Once you have finished adding the pudding to the cups cover them with tin foil and then place a Popsicle stick through the foil. The foil will allow the stick to remain straight.

If using popsicle molds, assemble as needed. Place cups/molds into refrigerator to firm and then into freezer to harden. We made ours in the morning and they were solid by dinner time. Peel paper off and enjoy!

Bryn