4th of July popsicles

                                                       

                                                          
A few of my neighbours and I had a cookout on Memorial Day weekend. Of course their kids were also invited :). When my oldest son and I were searching for Summer recipes, we ran into this recipe in a magazine. His eyes got big with excitement and he begged me to make these Popsicles for him. They are awfully cute! Plus, this little treat is low in calories. That's a plus in my book. I decided to use the red, white and blue colors of the American flag to keep in line with the Memorial Day celebrations. I know I'm posting this recipe a few days past Memorial Day, but you can also use this for the 4th of July. See? I'm already thinking ahead :) Here's what you'll need:

EQUIPMENT:
-Wire or silicone whisk.
-3 medium size mixing bowls.
-2 measuring cups (one for hot water, one for cold water)
-Popsicle sticks (can be found in any craft store. I bought mine at Walmart, in the craft aisle).
-5 OZ. Dixie paper cups (You can also clean out the 6OZ. plastic yogurt tubs and use those) set in a rectangular container. This will help keep the cups stable as they set.
-Hand mixer or a balloon whisk if you don't have one.
-A pair of kitchen scissors.
                                                   

                                      
                                                          

INGREDIENTS:
-1 3 OZ. pack of red gelatin powder.
-1/3 cup of granulated sugar for the red gelatin powder.
-1 cup of boiling water (for dissolving the red gelatin powder)
-1/2 cup of ice-cold water (for dissolving the red gelatin powder).

-1 3 OZ. pack of blue gelatin powder.
-1 cup of boiling water (for dissolving the blue gelatin powder).
-1/2 cup of ice-cold water for dissolving the blue gelatin powder.
-1/3 cup of granulated sugar for the blue gelatin powder.

-4 OZ. of room temperature full-fat cream cheese.
-1 1/2 cups Cool Whip topping thawed.
-1/3 cup granulated sugar.                                                     

I decided to put the red jell-o in the bottom of the paper cups, followed by a layer of cream cheese, sugar and cool whip, and then the blue jell-o on the top of the cup. So I started by first mixing the blue jell-o that would be at the top of the cup.

INSTRUCTIONS:
-In one of the mixing bowls, empty the pack of blue jell-o powder.
-Add the boiling water and sugar and whisk until the sugar and jell-o are completely dissolved.
-Add the ice-cold water and whisk until all the ice cubes are dissolved.
-Place the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes until it is semi-set (the texture should be between jello and liquid. See the picture below).
                                                          

-In another mixing bowl, empty the pack of red jello-powder.
-Add the hot water and sugar and whisk until the sugar and jell-o particles are completely dissolved.
-Add the ice-cold water and whisk until all the ice-cubes are completely dissolved.
-Pour the mixture into one of the measuring cups (that will make it easier to pour).
-Pour the red jell-o mix into the paper cups (pit a little less than 1/2 cup into each paper cup. See picture below).
-Place the container with the paper cups into the freezer for 45 mins until set (when you touch the top of the red layer with your finger, it should not be wet/watery).                                                       

-In a clean mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the room-temperature 4 OZ. of cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy (as shown below).                                                         

-Slowly add in the thawed whipped topping (use a spatula to fold it in).
-Using a tablespoon, heap some of the cream cheese/whipped topping mixture over top of the red set layer of jell-O, and spread gently till the whole red layer is covered (if your cream cheese and whipped topping were still cold, this will give you a hard time).                                                          

 

-Now use a tablespoon to put the semi-set blue layer of jell-o to the rim of the cup.                                                          

-Now insert a Popsicle stick into each of the cups (try and get it to stand straight).
-Once all the Popsicle sticks have been inserted into the cups of jell-o, return the jell-o into the freezer and let set a further 4-12 hours. You can even leave it in there overnight. I let mine set for 12 hours in the freezer.                                                      

-Once this time is up, simply snip a small section of the rim of the cup and tear the paper cup away from the jell-o to reveal the bold red, white and blue Popsicles.                                                            

 

                                                         

Now how easy was that?! Listen to the "oohs" and "ahs" as you unveil your creation. Enjoy!