by Texas Homesteader ~
I like to use sugar-free homemade applesauce frozen into popsicle molds to make a healthy cold sweet-treat. It sure is delightful on a hot Texas summer’s day!
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I don’t mind offering these frozen treats to my grandchildren as often as they want them. Heck, it’s a healthy serving of fruit with no added sugar!
Fresh Apples To Process
My aunt always shares bushels of apples from her tree. Oh how I love them! I’m not sure what variety they are, but they’re flavorful, crisp and sweet.
I’ll tote all those apples home and get to processing Apple Pie Filling, dried apple slices, Fruit rollups, and much more. (a more complete list is at the bottom of this post, or you can click the button below:
How To Use Imperfect Apples For Applesauce
Many times I’ll take the less-than-perfect apples and immediately peel and core them for applesauce. Heck it’s so easy, chunk it all in a slow cooker and just let it do its thing.
When they’re soft I take a stick blender to make it smooth.
There’s no need to add sugar, these apples are already sweet. But what to do with all this applesauce?
Many Helpful Applesauce Uses
Oftentimes I’ll can the Homemade Applesauce and have it on the shelf as a sweet snack.
Plus I use that canned applesauce as a high-fiber, low-fat replacement for oil in baking sweets too.
Substituting homemade applesauce for oil in those baked goods is cheaper, lower fat and much lower waste too!
But today I’m taking a stroll down memory lane…
Homemade Popsicles You Feel Good About Serving To The Kids
You see, when our kids were little they loved popsicles. And of course I enjoyed giving them popsicles too. But, you know… so much sugar! I knew it wasn’t good to allow them unlimited access to that kind of treat.
So I bought a popsicle mold and poured plain applesauce into them and froze them solid.
But even frozen, the applesauce popsicles don’t freeze into a hard block of ice. They’re firm yet soft enough to bite into.
So they were a sweet treat that I felt good about serving. To make them sound more exciting to the kids I called them ‘Apple Sticks’.
If I was cooking supper and they were too hungry to wait, I’d offer them an apple stick. I didn’t mind them having it, and I wasn’t worried it would ruin their appetite. So the kids always knew they could ask for one.
I knew it was simply a serving of fruit. But the kids really thought they were getting away with something by having treats before supper. That made it even that much more enjoyable for them.
I knew it was just a healthy addition to the meal they would enjoy later. Mom Power!
Healthy, Cold Refreshment: Frozen Applesauce
Fast forward to today. My little ones are grown now with kids of their own. But I’m still making apple sticks. And today I’ll use my homemade applesauce to make them too.
I simply pour the applesauce into the molds and pop them into the freezer until they’re frozen.
How To Make Popsicles Without A Mold?
You can easily *Buy Popsicle Molds. But you don’t have to. As long as you have *Popsicle Sticks you can #UseWhatchaGot to make popsicles!
- Empty Single-Serve Yogurt Cups & Popsicle Sticks
- *Silicone Muffin Tins (silicone makes it easier to remove frozen popsicles)
- *Small Paper Cups
- Reusable Individual *Silicone Baking Cups
See what I mean? A frozen sweet treat need not be expensive nor require specialty popsicle products. There are lots of options!
Cool Treats On A Hot Summer Day
Since RancherMan & I do most of our chores outside during these hot, sticky days of summer, it’s a pleasure to sit in the porch swing and rest & cool off a bit.
And maybe enjoy a sweet icy treat. Apple Sticks!
~TxH~
This post categorized in 
Tagged in 
5 Delicious Ways To Preserve Fresh Apples:
- Apple Pie Filling
- Cinnamon/Vanilla Applesauce
- Apple Cider
- Cinnamon/Sugar Apple Chips
- Fruit Leather Rollups
Delicious Apple Recipes
- Homemade Apple Pie
- Apple Pies Baked In Canning Jars
- Single-Serve Apple Hand Pies
- Apple Crumble from Apples in Syrup
- Quick, Hot Apple Dessert
- Baked Apple Pie Tortilla Roll
- Quick Spiced-Rum Fried Apples
- Chunky Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Apple Sticks (Popsicles w/Frozen Applesauce)
Snacks We Love
Crackers
- Homemade Honey-Graham Crackers
- Rosemary Crackers w/Olive Oil & Garlic
- MYO Pita Chips Using Flour Tortillas
Dips
Sweet Dessert Breads
Cake
Cookies
- Easiest 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
- Cake-Mix Cookies – Only 3 Ingredients!
- Double Chocolate Banana Chunk Cookies
- Sugar-Free Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
- Simple Meringue Cookies Using Aquafaba
Ice Cream
- Healthier ‘Ice Cream’ Using Bananas & Fruit
- Easy Cookies-n-Cream Ice Cream Cake
- Rich & Creamy Fudgesicles
Other Snacks
- Crunchy Savory Roasted Chickpeas
- Rice Krispie Treats With A Chocolate Twist
- Mini Nest No-Bake Festive Treats Filled With Candy
- Triple Chocolate Truffles
- Getting Your Family To Snack On Healthy Veggies
- Watermelon Smoothie (or Daiquiri)
…And MANY MORE!
See All Recipe Posts
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Hi Tammy, I am so excited to see your recipe, I will make applesauce tomorrow or so and try to make popsicles… I am really excited!
Have you ever used Ambrosia apple? I leave the peel on, of course, cut into chunks or dice up, I add 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups water, cinnamon, a pinch or 2 of salt and cook it in a 3-qt or 3-1/2-quart black oval slow-cooker for 4 hours. I use a wooden spoon to mash, No sugar is added, which is most important to me, tastes like it has sugar but it does not.
I am brand new to your blog and I just adore your recipes.
Thank you, take care…
Well howdy Laura, so glad you’re here! I’m currently in the throws of getting apples processed into applesauce too. Frozen applesauce popsicles (or ‘Apple Sticks’ as my children called them) are a family favorite for us. Such a healthy frozen treat. I almost always use apples from my aunt’s tree to make my applesauce. We have no idea what kind they are, but like your apples they’re so sweet there’s no sugar added. When I make my applesauce I do peel them with my peeler, then chunk them into the slow cooker like you do and cook them until soft. Since they have nothing added when I cook/can them I use this applesauce for any number of purposes such as a healthy snack or replacing the oil in my baked goods. A nice healthy zero-waste benefit. ~TxH~
That’s a great idea! I love finding ways to slip more fruits & veggies into my grandkids ;-D
‘Xactly Laurinda. The kids didn’t have to know it was a clever plan for me to get them snack healthy. They just knew it was delicious and could even be enjoyed before supper – a previous snack taboo for them. Mom Level: TOP! đŸ˜€ ~TxH~
Cool idea.
For those who don’t have the molds, I have used the small paper dixie cups for frozen treats or you can also use ice cube trays or even a muffin pan lined with a cupcake wrapper.
Good point Colleen, there are lots of easy ways to make these frozen treats. Thanks for the tips! ~TxH~