Raspberry Creamsicles

This recipe, which combines the delicate sweetness of raspberries with the creaminess of vanilla yogurt, is great for getting the best return on your basket of berries. The pops take several hours to freeze, so prepare them in the morning if you're planning on an afternoon snack.

Be sure to hand out aprons before you start stirring and whisking to shield everyone's clothing from pretty pink stains.

1 pint raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup cream (heavy or light)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup vanilla yogurt
8 (5 ounce) waxy paper cups
8 Popsicle sticks

In a blender, puree 1 pint of the raspberries with the sugar and water. Then use a jelly bag or sieve to strain out the seeds (this should yield about 2 cups of pulp).

Transfer 2/3 cup of the raspberry puree into a separate container, add the cream, and whisk well to mix. Meanwhile, have your child stir the lemon juice into the rest of the raspberry puree. Now you should have two containers of raspberry sauce ? one that's deep red and another that's creamy pink. Chill both sauces.

In a bowl, stir together the vanilla yogurt and the remaining raspberries (another good job for kids). Pour the mixture into the paper cups until they are about half full. Set the cups in an 8- inch square pan (for ease in transferring them in and out of the freezer). Cover each cup with aluminum foil and poke a Popsicle stick straight through the center of the foil and into the mixture. Freeze until set (about 2 hours).

Remove the foil and pour a layer of the deep red puree on top of the frozen yogurt. Freeze again until solid (about 2 hours). Finally, pour a layer of the raspberry cream mixture into each cup and freeze until solid.

To serve, peel the cups away from the creamsicles.

Makes 8 creamsicles.

Originally published in Family Fun magazine.