Description
These Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles offer a delightful, summery treat that combines the creamy sweetness of milk and sugar with the fresh, tangy flavor of homemade strawberry puree. Layered with chunks of shortbread cookies and sliced strawberries, these popsicles are a refreshing and nostalgic twist on the classic strawberry shortcake dessert. Perfect for warm days, they are easy to make with a simple stovetop cooking method and a few hours of freezing time.
Ingredients
Scale
Milk Mixture
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Puree
- 3 1/2 cups halved fresh strawberries (to make about 2 cups puree)
Add-ins and Assembly
- 4–5 strawberries, sliced
- 1.7 oz package shortbread Highlanders cookies (e.g., Walkers brand)
Instructions
- Prepare the Milk Mixture: Add the milk and sugar to a medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Make the Strawberry Puree: Place the halved strawberries in a food processor and pulse until smooth, yielding about 2 cups of puree. Pour this into a medium-sized saucepan for cooking.
- Reduce the Strawberry Puree: Cook the strawberry puree over medium heat until it reduces by half, approximately to 1 cup. Avoid allowing it to boil vigorously; a gentle light boil is acceptable.
- Combine Strawberry and Milk Mixtures: Remove the strawberry puree from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the cooled milk mixture. Set this strawberry-milk blend aside. To the remaining milk mixture, add the vanilla extract and mix well, then set aside.
- Prepare Popsicle Molds: Place a couple of sliced strawberries inside each popsicle mold, pressing them against the mold walls for an appealing look.
- First Strawberry Layer & Initial Freeze: Pour the strawberry mixture into the molds until they are about one-third full. Freeze for about 1 hour to set.
- Add Shortbread to Milk Mixture: Crumble 3-4 shortbread cookies into small pieces that will fit into the molds. Stir these crumbles into the vanilla milk mixture.
- Fill with Milk Mixture and Insert Sticks: After the initial freeze, remove molds and pour the milk mixture with shortbread crumbles into each mold, filling to about two-thirds. Insert popsicle sticks so they reach halfway into the strawberry layer. Freeze again for about 1 hour.
- Top Layer with Strawberry Puree and Shortbread: Remove the molds once more, add the remaining strawberry mixture on top, and sprinkle additional shortbread crumbs over it.
- Final Freeze: Freeze the popsicles until completely firm, approximately 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
- Unmold and Serve: To remove the popsicles, briefly dip the molds in room temperature water for several seconds. Wiggle the popsicles free carefully. Enjoy immediately or wrap them in parchment paper and store in a freezer-safe sandwich bag to prevent sticking.
Notes
- Using fresh strawberries ensures the best flavor, but frozen could be used if thawed and drained well.
- Make sure the shortbread cookies are crumbled finely to fit within the popsicle molds without clogging.
- Pressing the sliced strawberries against the mold enhances the popsicle’s appearance when unmolded.
- The multi-stage freezing allows distinct layers to form, adding to the texture and flavor contrast.
- Wrap the popsicles individually in parchment paper before placing them in a bag to avoid sticking together.
- You can substitute the shortbread cookies with other crumbly cookies like graham crackers or digestive biscuits if preferred.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: strawberry shortcake, popsicles, summer dessert, frozen treat, shortbread cookies, strawberry puree
