Oh, I know this one. I spend all summer making popsicles so as to save on the Sno-Cone Man bills. :rolleyes:
It’s not an emulsifier, and it’s not only the sugar–you have to add gelatin to get that popsicle texture.
Here’s my recipe from the Jello booklet:
[ul]
[li]1 large package (6 oz.) Jello mix[/li][li]1 package Kool-Aid (in a matching or complementary flavor–duh)[/li][li]2 cups sugar (yes, that’s 2 cups :eek: )[/li][li]4 cups boiling water (and it has to be a really rolling boil, otherwise the Jello won’t dissolve properly[/li][li]4 cups cold water)[/li][/ul]
Dissolve the Jello in the boiling water (you can dump the Kool-Aid and sugar in there, too.) Then add the cold water. Now, I find that it turns into actual popsicles faster if you pour it into a wide shallow heavy glass or crockery bowl and let it cool off on the counter for a few minutes.
I use 5 oz. paper Dixie cups (not the 3 oz. bathroom size, which aren’t big enough to keep a kid happy–“hey, how come these are so teeny?”) and you can get those wooden popsicle sticks at any craft store (Hobby Lobby, the craft department of Wal-Mart, etc.), in big boxes. Don’t get stuck paying through the nose for those tiny packets of, like, 20 popsicle sticks for $2.99 that the upscale “arts and crafts for Grandma” stores sell. Go to Hobby Lobby and get the huge 2 lb. box for $1.99. And try not to think about the fact that trees died so you could have popsicle sticks.
Set the Dixie cups in a cake pan, so when somebody opens the freezer door too fast and things spill, you have containment.
It takes about 3 hours in my freezer for slushies (can be eaten with a spoon), and 5 to 6 hours for “hard enough to slide it out of the cup and eat it”.
Eat it over a bowl, or outside, as it’s too big to get it all in your mouth (unless you’re a porn star ) and it will drip.