Going Zonkers over Zoku

When Mum called to ask if Bubs wanted a Zoku Quick Pop Maker, I said yes without a moment's hesitation and promised that I'd make plenty of popsicles for myself Bubs.

"You've to use sugar in it, otherwise it won't freeze wan ah!" Mum warned because she knew I've a very low-sugar tolerance policy when it comes to Bubs and sweet treats.

"Don't worry, I promise!" I said, crossing my fingers. 

Zoku is a very funky looking and what I call a *insert snooty tone here* high class popsicle maker. A friend asked what was the difference between this pricey little gadget and the RM5 versions from Daiso? This baby can make Popsicles in as little as 7 minutes, without batteries or electricity!

How does it work? It's a sturdy container (that comes in a rainbow assortment of colours) with non-stick cast aluminum well for the popsicle mold and some kind of liquid chemical inside it. When I took it out of the box, I shook it gently and could hear it sploshing around. You need to chuck the Zoku base in the freezer for a minimum of 24 hours.

I tried a combination of Milo, milk and extra Milo powder

 After that, get ready your popsicle fillings, which can range from simple lemonade to more adventurous combinations. Take out the base from the freezer - it should feel rock solid with no liquids splashing around inside. Insert the Zoku sticks in, then carefully pour your juice/chocolate milk/basically anything sweet inside it. Wait for about 7 - 9 minutes. Use the Zoku Super Tool to carefully remove the stick out along with your popsicle.

Voila! Your very own home made popsicle. You could go wild and do pretty popsicles like lemon slices and mint leaves on the outside or striped popsicles, eg: layering different flavours together, kind of like a kek lapis but in an ice cream form.

Some tips:

•  Mum was both right and wrong about the sugar. You need some form of sugar for it to work but it doesn't have to be the white powdered kind; honey and molasses work well too. Banking on the theory that most fruits have natural sugar, I tried using freshly juiced green apples undiluted and crossed my fingers - it worked!
• Do not pour past the fill line or you will have a tough time removing the sticks.
• The more liquid-y the filling, the less splatters and mess you'll get. I'm considering getting eyedroppers/turkey baster to minimise the spills. 
• Be very gentle when removing the popsicles - the sticks are apparently easy to snap
• You don't need to wash the base between each use, the popsicles really do come out cleanly with minimal mess. If you need to wash them, wait for them to be completely thawed and then dry thoroughly before re-freezing the base.

We're having so much fun with it that I even asked Mum to get me some spare sticks so we could make more and just store them in the freezer for a quick, icy snack.

 You should have seen the elation on Bub's face when I offered him ice cream for breakfast. He gave me a are-you-kidding-me look :D I didn't bothering explaining that it was just frozen apple juice on a stick.

This would make a perfect housewarming gift for anyone!