Why Popsicles for One?

Last month I came across the Zoku Quick Pop Maker in my Internet travels. I'd seen the original it in a department store several years ago, but it was wildly expensive so I didn't think I'd ever get one. Then I found out they now make Single Quick Pop Makers in fashion colors, more importantly, in purple, my favorite color!! SOLD! They're still pretty expensive (half the price of the original which can make 3 at a time), but the small footprint was important because I share the freezer with a lot of housemates. I'm only making pops for myself so getting the original, which can theoretically make 9 pops at a time, wasn't important. I love frozen treats, and being the first day of what was looking to be a very hot Boston summer, I decided the Zoku would pay for itself by the end of the summer.

While I waited for my Zoku to show up, I spent hours searching for recipes. I was a little disappointed to learn that if you don't have enough sugar or have too much fat, you can end up with a disaster, not a popsicle. Other potential disasters include using some puddings & yogurts to make your pops. I was frustrated that I couldn't find the volume of a Zoku pop anywhere (it's slightly less than 1/4 cup or 5 tablespoons), most recipes were written for 6 pops, and many recipes were overly complicated, involving many ingredients that I don't use for anything (i.e. sweetened condensed milk) and wouldn't be practical to buy just to make a few pops.

My plan all along was to freeze existing liquids, puddings, and yogurts without a whole lot of mixing. I don't want pops with fruit smiley faces. I don't want dipped, drizzled, or sprinkled pops. I just want to pour in my liquid and have a pop in the advertised 7 minutes. Since I can only make (at most) 3 pops at a time (I found out after I ordered it that sometimes you can only get 2 pops at time if they take longer to freeze), and I wanted to experiment a lot in the beginning, I planned on making one type of pop at a time. This blog will chronicle my Zoku pop-making adventures.

Note: I am not compensated by Zoku for writing this blog.