All photos by Ashleigh Fox/THE CHIMES

Since we already feel like Hansel and Gretel inside the witch’s oven, it would be criminal to ask anyone to so much as turn on their stove. For me, this time of year breeds the urge to climb inside my freezer and curl up until November. Sadly, my freezer is a tad small, and my roommates would be perturbed that I’m encroaching on precious ice cream space. Besides, I’m not a wood frog, which might make the whole being frozen thing problematic. So after reconsidering my delirious desire to move to the South Pole and live among the penguins, I decided to solve the heat problem with an icy childhood treat instead. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself for popsicles.

Note: If you don’t have time to procure popsicle molds before you melt in the heat, muffin tins or small paper cups with a popsicle stick will work just as well. Since there isn’t a universal size for popsicle molds, nor do I feel that I have the authority to mandate how many you can make, I am not going to include exact measurements. Adapt accordingly.

Blueberry Lemonade

If this popsicle were a cool, refreshing drink, it would be enjoyed on a wrap-around porch on a swing. Enjoy as you please, though a porch swing might enhance the experience.

Ingredients:

Lemonade
Fresh blueberries

Method:

Pour a small amount of lemonade into the mold, just enough to create a shallow layer. Add a few blueberries and use a popsicle stick to crush them slightly, muddling them with the lemonade. Fill the rest of the mold with lemonade.

Root Beer Float

These popsicles taste like childhood, and a little like a 1950s soda shop.

Ingredients:

Root beer
Vanilla ice cream
Milk

Method:

Soften the ice cream, either in a microwave or by letting it sit out for 10 to 20 minutes. In a bowl, stir in two tablespoons of milk for every 1/2 cup of ice cream. Fill the molds a little more than halfway with root beer. Gently pour or spoon in the melted ice cream to top off the mold.

Note: Don’t skip adding milk to the ice cream. It thins out the ice cream and lowers the sugar content so that the ice cream will freeze hard like a popsicle instead of softer like, well, ice cream.

Pineapple Coconut

Imagine sitting on a tropical island under a palm tree with a cool breeze coming off the water. No homework or heat, just you and this popsicle, until you eat it.

Ingredients:

Pineapple-banana-orange juice, or a similar juice blend involving pineapple
Canned crushed pineapple
Coconut milk
Sweetened, shredded coconut

Method:

Fill the popsicle mold about a third of the way with the pineapple juice blend. Add enough crushed pineapple to raise the liquid line about halfway up the mold. Pour coconut milk almost all the way to the top of the mold, then fill the rest of the space with shredded coconut. Push the coconut down gently so it submerges in the coconut milk.

Tips for freezing and unmolding all popsicles:

If using a popsicle mold with lids, snap on the stick attachment and place in the freezer. If using plain, old-fashioned popsicle sticks, you may need to let the liquid freeze for approximately one hour before the sticks will stand up straight.

Freeze overnight, or for a minimum of five hours. To unmold, dip the mold in lukewarm water for a few seconds and then release the popsicles.