Fruit Freezies

My son used to call these “burrrrr’s” when he was younger and they are a huge hit with my family. My mom even requests that I make her a bunch every year for her birthday present! Not only can you use these as a Popsicle substitute for your kids, but you can also dress them up in a glass dish with some raspberry syrup drizzled on them and serve them when you have company. They have saved me more than once when I have realized I need a salad and don’t have any fresh produce in the house.

And this frozen fruit salad is so sweet and tangy, you don’t have to add any sugar!

Ingredients

• 2 (6 ounce) cans frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
• 2 (15 ounce) cans sliced peaches with juice

Directions

In a large bowl defrost the strawberries in the microwave just enough so that you can chop them into smaller pieces. You want them soft enough so you can cut them easily, but not so soft that they are mushy. I usually just take some clean kitchen scissors and snip away at them. The pieces don’t need to be uniform and it is easier then getting out a cutting board.

You will also need to cut up the peaches into smaller pieces. I usually just drain the juice into the large bowl with the strawberries in it and then stick my kitchen scissors into the can and snip the peaches up with the scissors. So very easy and I am so very lazy. Once you are done, add the peaches to the bowl too.

Then add your orange juice concentrate and crushed pineapple and stir everything together until it is blended evenly.

I then pull out my silicon muffin tins—they make great molds! I always place them on a cookie sheet so that they don’t get all floppy on me. You will want to clear out plenty of room in your freezer because you will need some space to lay these things flat. I also use my stackable wire racks so that I can place another muffin tin on top of the other without mashing the bottom one.

Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 full of the mixture and then freeze until solid. If you fill them too full it is easy to spill them and it makes a sticky mess.

Once it is solid, just pop the little fruit freezies out. The silicone mold makes it really easy. My husband always starts to hover around this time so that he can get first dibs on licking the stuff off the muffin tins.

You can serve them right away or place them in a large ziplock bag for later. I usually make a ton of them and then we can grab one when my kids want a snack. I usually let them sit out on the counter in a bowl for a bit before eating them so that they can soften up or you can microwave them for 15 seconds.

You can also freeze them in Popsicle molds, but my kids seem to prefer to let them defrost a bit and eat them in a bowl like a fruit sorbet.

You can also experiment with other fruit. Sometimes I like to add some frozen blueberries or sliced bananas to it.