Clever Desserts Inspired by Orange Creamsicles
Cooling off with an orange cream pop is the happiest part of any hot summer day, but that doesn’t mean we only crave them a few months out of the year. Since classic cream pops can be a bit elusive (especially during the winter months), we created our own versions of this fruity dessert so you can enjoy its flavors year-round. Pick your favorite recipe and get started!
1. Orange Cream-Pop Cupcakes
Orange cream pops, meet cupcakes. These super-cute orange cupcakes are topped with swirls of luscious cream cheese and orange peel-flavored frosting. To make your cream pop cupcakes even more similar to the real thing, top off each one with a wooden craft stick stuck into the frosting. It’ll make them look just like your favorite frozen treat!
2. Orange Swirled Cheesecake
Want to make cream pops for a crowd? This orange cream pop dessert recipe is a great way to share an orange- and vanilla-flavored dessert with everyone. Orange juice and fresh orange peel give the orange swirls their signature flavor, while adding vanilla to cream cheese and milk makes the white swirls of this dessert as tasty as the filling of any cream pop.
3. Mandarins and Ice Cream Cake
If you really want an orange cream pop look-a-like (not to mention taste-a-like), a slice of this ice cream cake is your best bet. Just like a classic cream pop, this recipe has a creamy vanilla filling and a tangy orange top layer. But this ice cream cake also steps it up a notch by adding a crushed biscotti crust and sweet topping made with mandarin oranges and orange marmalade. All it’s missing is a stick!
4. Orange Cream Pop Smoothie
Blaine Moats
We like our smoothies creamy and dreamy, so why not turn one into an orange cream pop? That’s exactly what this almond milk and frozen orange juice smoothie tastes like. Vanilla yogurt makes this smoothie extra creamy and keeps it healthier than the classic ice pop, so you can stir up this recipe when you’re craving a cream pop but wanting a healthier snack, too.
5. Orange Cream Sugar Cookie Bars
These sugar cookie bars are almost like a reverse cream pop—rather than a creamy filling in the center, the luscious white chocolate frosting is spread on top. But don’t worry, this dessert still has plenty of orange flavor thanks to a generous sprinkle of orange zest in the sugar cookie batter. You can also pump up the punch of citrus by adding more orange zest on top of the frosting.
6. Creamy Halloweeny Push-Up Pops
Kritsada Panichgul
The summer months don’t have a monopoly on orange cream pop-flavored treats. These layered cake pops bring the combo of orange and creamy vanilla all the way into October for Halloween. To make these treats look like candy corn but taste like orange cream pops, stack up layers of yellow cake, orange pudding, white cake, and cream cheese frosting.
7. Vanilla-Scented Orange Cheesecake
Unlike an orange cream pop, this cheesecake has the advantage of being topped with real orange slices. There’s also orange peel mixed into the creamy filling, but adding orange slices on top will give your slice juicy, fresh orange flavor like no other. It’ll pair perfectly with the luscious white and orange layers of cheesecake!
8. Orange-Kissed Vanilla Bean Pillows
Orange peel and vanilla bean bring cream pop flavors to these puffy, pillowy, bite-size cookies. To make sure they keep their signature puffed-up shape after baking, roll them into balls before popping them in the oven. Then, once they’re finished baking, roll them through a vanilla sugar mixture for an extra taste of sweetness.
9. Orange Creamsicle Drink Mix
There’s no doubt creamsicles are refreshing, but if it’s not time for dessert yet, you can still enjoy a taste of something sweet with this creamsicle drink mix. You only need three ingredients—vanilla instant pudding mix, orange drink mix, and lemonade mix. Then stir a few spoonfuls together with a cup of cold water, and voila! You’ll be sipping on an ice-cold creamsicle drink in no time!