From the Journal: Retro Frozen Treat Recipes

These retro frozen desserts will take you back to the dog days of childhood summers, chasing after the ice cream truck, coins clinking in the palm of your hand. Hit rewind and play the tape again with a refresh on the sweetest treats of your youth. Every recipe is quick to prep before it sets, so you can whip up a batch faster than you can say orange cream push pop.

story by Alyssa Shultis

recipes by Ellen Boeke

photography by Carson Downing

food styling by Charlie Worthington

produced by Scott J. Johnson

ICE POPS

PREP: 15 minutes

FREEZE: 4 hours

MAKES: 4 pops

ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries or blueberries or pineapple, watermelon, peach, or kiwifruit chunks

1/3 cup pineapple juice

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice

Pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop mold bags according to manufacturer’s directions. Leave 1/2 to 1 inch of headspace at top of bags. Seal bags. Freeze at least 4 hours or until firm.

FUDGE BARS

PREP: 20 minutes

COOL/FREEZE: 5 hours

MAKES: 10 bars

ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Pinch salt

3 cups whole milk

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook over medium-low about 10 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, whisking frequently. Add chocolate chips; heat and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap and let cool 1 hour.
2. Spoon pudding into 3-oz. pop molds, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Add sticks and lids. Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ICE CREAM BARS

PREP: 30 minutes

FREEZE: 4½ hours

MAKES: 8 bars

ingredients

2 pints vanilla or desired-flavor ice cream in round containers

1 cup finely chopped roasted peanuts or toasted coconut, optional

2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips or butterscotch chips

5 Tbsp. coconut oil or shortening

1. Use a serrated knife to cut each container of ice cream horizontally into four equal slices. Peel away paper. Gently insert a wooden crafts stick halfway into each slice. If you like, place nuts on a plate and dip flat sides of ice cream slices in nuts to coat. Place slices on a parchment-lined tray. Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.
2. Heat and stir chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low until melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to a shallow dish such as a pie plate and let cool at least 1 hour. Dip ice cream bars in chocolate to coat. Return to tray and freeze 30 minutes or until firm.

TIP: Choose a traditional smooth ice cream flavor for this recipe. Ice creams with crunchy bits and chunks do not cut well, and many of the added ingredients in “gourmet” ice creams make the ice cream too soft for dipping.

ORANGE CREAM PUSH POPS

PREP: 20 minutes

FREEZE: 4 hours

MAKES: 12 pops

ingredients

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. orange zest

Pinch salt

Orange food coloring (optional)

2 cups heavy cream Sprinkles (optional)

1. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl. If you like, tint mixture with food coloring. In an extra-large bowl beat cream with a mixer on medium to high until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold half of the whipped cream into the orange juice mixture. Add the orange juice mixture to the remaining whipped cream and fold until combined.
2. Spoon mixture into reusable push pop containers. Add sprinkles on top (if using). Place the tops with sticks on containers. Freeze at least 4 hours or up to 1 month.

NUTTY CONES

PREP: 15 minutes

FREEZE: 1 hour 40 minutes

MAKES: 12 cones

ingredients

12 rolled sugar ice cream cones

1 cup milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp. coconut oil or shortening

2 pints vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts or chopped creme-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos

1. Place a double layer of heavy- duty foil over a bowl or plastic container. Crimp edges to hold in place. Create 12 evenly spaced holes in foil with a knife. Widen holes with your fingers to hold cones. Place cones in the openings.
2. Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Heat and stir over low until melted and smooth. Using a small clean paintbrush, brush some of the melted chocolate over insides of cones and around top edges, allowing a little to drip into the tips of the cones. Freeze about 10 minutes or until chocolate is set. Pack ice cream gently into and on cones. Freeze about 1 hour or until firm.
3. Return chocolate mixture to low heat until melted and smooth. Dip firm ice cream into melted chocolate to coat, then immediately sprinkle with peanuts or cookies. Return cones to freezer and freeze about 30 minutes or until firm. For longer storage, wrap cones in plastic wrap and transfer to resealable plastic bags.

ROCKET LEMONADE POPS

PREP: 20 minutes

FREEZE: 4 hours

MAKES: 14 pops

ingredients

2 cups frozen sliced strawberries

2 cups honey-flavor whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 cups frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed Red food coloring (optional) Blue food coloring (optional)

FOR THE RED LAYER: Combine strawberries, 1/2 cup of the yogurt, and 1/4 cup of the lemonade concentrate in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. If you like, tint mixture with red food coloring. Pour into fourteen 2-oz. pop molds.

FOR THE WHITE LAYER: Combine 1 cup of the yogurt and 1/2 cup of the lemonade concentrate in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the pop molds.

FOR THE BLUE LAYER: Combine blueberries, the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt, and the remaining 1/4 cup lemonade concentrate in a clean blender. Cover and blend until smooth. If you like, tint mixture with blue food coloring. Pour into the pop molds. Add sticks and lids to the pop molds. Freeze at least 4 hours or until firm.