The Clever Hack That Will Prevent Popsicles And Ice Cream Bars From Dripping

On a sweltering summer day, frozen desserts on a stick seem like the best invention ever, with the exception of their messy habit of dripping down your hand. If you cringe at the though of ice pops melting in the sun and making everything in sight sticky, there's a clever hack that can help you out: Use cupcake liners as a DIY drip guard.

It's super simple to stick cupcake or muffin liners under the bottom of a popsicle or ice cream bar, and the result is more convenient and waterproof than wrapping a napkin around the stick. All you need to do is poke a hole in the bottom of the liner with a paring knife or scissors. Then, slide it up the popsicle stick — that's all there is to it.

The result is a miniature cup that catches any drips while you or your kids enjoy sweet treats. Since cupcake liners are designed to hold liquid batter, they catch and hold onto sugary ice cream drippings without getting soggy or breaking. Though you can also buy plastic popsicle holders with built-in drip reservoirs, and some people even use plastic cups to do the job, cupcake liners are lightweight, fit on popsicle sticks seamlessly, and might be in your kitchen already. You may be familiar with other muffin tin hacks, but this popsicle tip is a game-changer, if you ask us.

From classic fruit juice pops to fancy vanilla bean semifreddo bars, cupcake liners let you enjoy any frozen treat mess-free. But if you don't have any on hand, other household items can stand in, including parchment paper. Simply cut a square of parchment large enough to catch drips, then insert the stick through the center and fold the edges around the base of your ice pop. It won't create as neat of a container, but will still help you avoid sticky hands.

You can also use disposable soda cup lids to catch droplets from your favorite strawberry shortcake pops or simple vanilla ice cream bars. Just poke the popsicle stick through the hole in the cup lid, then slide it upwards so it rests under the base of the pop. In a pinch, you can always wrap a napkin or paper towel around the stick. However, because these paper products aren't water-resistant, they easily soak up liquid and become damp, so this is a last resort.

Do you prefer classic ice cream cones over popsicles? While a large waffle cone does a decent job of catching drips, it might have a hole at the bottom that leaks onto your shorts — oops. To fix up this, just push a marshmallow down into the bottom before scooping the ice cream in. Presto: Now your cones are less messy, too.