So after quite a long hiatus from instructabling (had a kid, finished my masters) I am back with the perfect project for the upcoming summer.

I really like making my own popsicles, and for a long time I just threw random milk products and fruit together with varied results. One of the main issues with popsicles is, that since you don't stir the ice-cream while freezing, quite big ice crystals can form, making the popsicle hard and not so pleasant to eat. Through this trial and error method, I one day found the best combination (at least from all the combinations I tried) of ingredients to make the perfect creamy and soft popsicles and I wanted to share, so you can all enjoy.

Step 1: Ingredients

as promised by the clickbaity title, you will actually really only need the following 2 ingredients for the popsicle base:

- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (you will not need all of it, but where I live, you can't really buy any smaller quantity...)

- 200 g crème fraîche (ideally french style with 30% fat content and no other ingredients than cream and bacteria culture. If you don't find it, you could substitute with sour cream, but the result will not be as good because of the lower fat content)

and to add, according to your liking (endless possibilities!):

- fresh fruit and berries

- chocolate

- matcha powder

- lemon zest

- ....

what else:

- popsicle moulds (the recipe last for around 6 of my popsicle moulds, a bit more if you add a lot of fruit)

- container that fits about 500 ml and has a spout (not necessary, but makes it easier to fill the popsicle moulds)

Step 2: The Base

Put the crème fraiche in the container, then add the condensed milk - i would suggest that you start with about 1/4 of the can, when in doubt add less since you can always add more. Stir the two ingredients together (a spoon works wonderfully) until smooth and lump free.

Taste the base to see if it is sweet enough to your liking. If you feel that it could be a bit sweeter add more condensed milk until optimum sweetness is achieved. Keep in mind that some ingredients you might add to the base (like chocolate) might add to the sugar content.

Step 3: Go Wild!

Now that the base is ready, the real fun begins - making the most amazing popsicles with whatever you like to add. In the following two steps, I will show you how to make chocolate and strawberry/vanillla popsicle, but the possiblities are truly endless.

Try for example:

- apricot and rosmary puree topped with the base recipe with some honey added to it (add less condensed milk)

- add zest of a lemon to the base and throw in some raspberries

- instead of dark chocolate, use white chocolate for the following recipe and add some blueberries

- add your favourite cookie crumbs to the base

- ....

Step 4: Chocolate Popsicles

extra ingredient: 50-80 g milk or dark chocolate

chop the chocolate, put into a microwaveable container and microwave on medium for a short time until the chocolate has melted (in absence of a microwave, use a bain marie). Pour the molten chocolate into the base, stir until fully incorporated - or don't if you like to have chocolate swirls in your popsicle.

Add the finished chocolate mixture to the popsicle moulds and freeze for several hours, best over night.

Step 5: Strawberry Vanilla Popsicles

extra ingredients:

- small piece of vanilla bean (substitute with vanilla extract or vanilla powder)

- strawberries

Scrape the vanilla seeds out of the bean, add to the base and stir well. Cut strawberries into small pieces and add to the popsicle moulds. Pour the vanilla mixture over the berries, then tap the moulds carefully onto a hard surface to allow the mixture to fill all the spaces between the berries. It might be necessary to add more vanilla mixture after, you could also add some more strawberry pieces to have them more evenly distributed.

Step 6: Enjoy!

After all the hard work, give your container a tight scrape to get all that goey goodness out! And after waiting for the popsicles to freeze, enjoy them, too!

I hope you will have fun with my popsicle recipe and sweeten those hot summer months to come with a cold treat! And since these popsicles are the perfect addition to any summertime celebration, from childrens birthday to barbecue, I will enter this instructable in the Party Challenge. So if you liked it, I would be happy if you voted for me!