Frozen Fruit Cups

I came up with the following idea using ingredients I had on hand that needed to be used. I had read a similar recipe long ago. This recipe contains sugar-free whipped topping and sugar-free pudding, as well as ideas for your own substitutes. I like this recipe because it makes individual portion sizes for the freezer, for portion control and future sweet tooth urges. 

Below are the ingredients I used. You can easily up-size the quantities to the standard container sizes. This recipe calls for less, because I had a situation with not quite full containers of several ingredients.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. low-fat cream cheese
• 4 to 5 tablespoons sugar-free vanilla pudding - I used this because I had half a package of pudding in my cupboard. The original recipe did not contain this; it contained about ½ cup sugar instead.
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute 
• 1 tablespoon fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon no sugar added orange juice
• 5 to 6 oz. sugar-free whipped topping - I had about ⅔ of an 8 oz. container.
• 2 to 2 ½ cups fresh fruit - I used 1 large c. of sliced strawberries, ½ c. halved seedless red grapes, ½ c. blueberries, and additional berries for topping. The original recipe contained sweeter processed fruits - maraschino cherries, mandarin oranges, and crushed pineapple.
• ¼ to ½ cup chopped pecans

Directions

Fill 12 to 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside. I made 12 with the quantities listed here.

With a mixer, blend the cream cheese, vanilla pudding, milk, orange juice, and sugar. Blend in the whipped topping. Gently stir in fresh fruit and chopped pecans.

Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins. Top with a piece of sliced fruit, if desired. Place in freezer and freeze for several hours.

After the fruit cups are frozen, remove from muffin pans. Dip the bottom of the muffin tins in hot water for a few seconds for easier removal. Store the fruit cups in the freezer in a sealed container or Ziploc bag.

Thaw the fruit cups just slightly before serving; either in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds, or at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Please feel free to share your flavor combinations as well!