Real Snow Slushies and Snowcones

I’ve found a cure for cabin fever: real snow slushies and snowcones.

Typically, when the kids get squirrelly, I bundle them up and send them outside for a good, long while. But in blizzard conditions like the ones we’re experiencing outside of Boston today, you need to find some indoor fun, too. And so we brought the snow inside.

My kids have always been enchanted by that book, Carolyn Buehner’s Snowmen at Christmas: specifically, the page in which the snow mothers make snow treats for their snow children. I must admit, the spread that these domestic-goddess snow moms lay out is pretty mouthwatering:

So we decided to make some fruity snow treats in our house. It takes, literally, about 10 minutes, and you’re almost certain to have everything you need on hand (especially fresh snow).

Here’s what you need:

One small, clean bucket

Clean, freshly fallen snow

One game child (to collect the snow)

Your favorite juicy fruits (like lemon, orange, watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit)

A citrus squeezer (in a pinch, your hands and a fine mesh strainer will do)

One cup sugar

One cup water

How to make:

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook until the mixture resembles a syrup consistency. Set aside to cool (put in fridge or freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process if desired).

Set out a row of small glasses or containers, and squeeze the fruits into them with a citrus squeezer or through a fine mesh strainer (keep the pulp out if your kids like smooth consistencies, like mine). In individual glasses I squeezed: one whole lemon; one whole orange; handful of strawberries; and some maraschino cherries (with a touch of the juice from the jar), because that’s what I had on hand. Fruit juice would be fine too, but in that case, reduce the amount of sugar you use for the simple syrup by one-third.

When syrup is cooled, top fruit juices with syrup.

Scoop snow into small cups, glasses or, if you really want to get fancy, paper cones. Though you can buy snow cone wrappers like these on Amazon (200 for $14 should get you through parenthood), that would take some advance preparation, and given that I didn’t even have D-sized flashlight batteries this morning in anticipation of a record-breaking blizzard, lord knows I didn’t have wrappers for snow treats. But they are easy to make: layer a sheet of tin foil on top of a piece of construction paper, roll into a cone shape, tape the ends together, and snip off the open top to make an even opening.

Top cones or slushie glasses with a scoop or two of fresh snow and fruit syrup (less for cones, more for slushies). It’s a great, refreshing treat after an indoor dance party or some rigorous outdoor snow playing or fort-building. Even my husband and I had a slushie. Save extra syrup in small containers in the ‘fridge—it will last for weeks (certainly until the next snowfall).