YumSugar

Give Me a S'more Popsicle

YumSugar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:00:23 -0700

Summer is coming to an end! I don't want it to, but there's no way to fight it, so instead, I celebrated by creating a frozen treat inspired by the great camping tradition of s'mores. Only a few days ago, PartySugar made homemade smores, and I decided to try my hand at s'mores popsicles. These easy popsicles only require five ingredients: vanilla ice cream, marshmallows, chocolate chips, graham crackers, and vegetable oil.To mimic the shape of a marshmallow, I made the pops in small juice glasses, although any pop mold or dixie cup would work. While these popsicles are not gooey and warm like the original s'more, they have the same great flavor. The first bite of roasted marshmallow ice cream, crisp chocolate, and crunchy graham crackers will cool down anyone who is basking in the last fiery days of Summer. These popsicles are irresistible to kids and adults, so if you want chilly s'mores, keep reading.

Avocado Makes Its Way to Dessert

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:15:35 -0700

Everyone knows I am crazy for popsicles - there's no better way to beat the heat on a Summer day. Although avocado is generally used in savory dishes like guacamole, it is a fruit and therefore is perfect for dessert!

These avocado coconut creamsicles are surprisingly delicious and decadent. The avocado, coconut milk, and cream freeze to an exceptionally smooth texture. Because the nutty flavor is incredibly rich and exceptionally filling, a little goes a long way, and next time, I will use a smaller popsicle mold. If you are tempted to experiment with avocados in this frozen treat, keep reading for the recipe.

Pop Goes the Peach

YumSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:15:37 -0700

With the overpowering aroma of stone fruit at the farmers market and a particularly warm weekend, I decided it was the ideal time to make one of my favorite summertime obsessions: Popsicles. To keep it simple and showcase their pure deliciousness, I pureed peaches with tart lime juice and refreshing, home-grown pineapple mint. Because the peaches are perfectly ripe and juicy, you hardly need any sugar to sweeten the pops. If you aren't a peach person, consider another in-season fruit, like plums, cherries, or strawberries. Popsicles are irresistible on hot days, and the only way to beat the next heatwave is to keep reading.

Yummy Links: From Frozen Daniel Craig to Tony and Mario

partysugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:50:23 -0700

Would you eat this Daniel Craig Popsicle? - Eat Me Daily
Are you buying less organic milk? - Serious Eats
Tipping rules for takeout and delivery. - Bon Appétit
Flank steak salad with arugula is hearty and delicious. - Chow
Top Chef season six has wrapped filming in Las Vegas. - Eater SF
Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali talk everything from cupcakes to Food Network. - Grubstreet

Icy, Spicy Cantaloupe and Cucumber Paletas

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:15:56 -0700

With the end of Summer fast approaching, I made a Popsicle inspired by Mexican paletas, a mostly pureed frozen fruit dessert that's either ice- or cream-based. After chopping up a cantaloupe last week, I wanted to combine it with a crisp cucumber and spicy jalapeño to create a refreshing yet snappy paleta.Zealous with my jalapeño, I chopped up an entire thing, seeds and all, and threw it in the blender. The result was too spicy for my taste, so I balanced the heat by adding a touch of sugar. Depending on your personal taste, I would recommend removing the seeds and the white flesh, the spiciest part of a jalapeño, before blending. These peppery paletas are perfect for a scorching hot day, so to learn how to make them, read more.

Spicy Cantaloupe and Cucumber Paletas
Original Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 medium cantaloupe, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and cleaned, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1 lime sliced (optional)

Directions

Puree cantaloupe, cucumber, and jalapeño in a blender. Add sugar to the liquid if it is too spicy or not sweet enough.
Fill up Popsicle molds. Place in freezer and wait patiently for 6 hours to freeze. Serve with a slice of lime.

Makes 6 Popsicles

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Have Your Mint Popsicles and Eat the Stick Too!

YumSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:15:28 -0700

Recently we brainstormed the ultimate Popsicle. In my ideal Popsicle, the pesky wooden stick would be replaced with something deliciously edible. I decided to experiment with Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes, a rolled, wafer cookie with cream filling, using the cookie as the stick. The result is an easy and entirely edible Popsicle, inspired by one of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies - Thin Mints! Making the Popsicles was simple: I filled small Dixie cups with ice cream and gently inserted the cookie stick. The chocolate coating proved more difficult. I intended to quickly dip the Popsicles in melted chocolate and crushed mint cookies.

Unfortunately, the chocolate froze faster than I could dip and roll, so I opted for a simple chocolate coating. The wafer sticks come in four flavors, so feel free to choose your favorite cookie/ice cream combination. To learn the technique, read more.

Thin Mint Popsicles With Edible Stick
Original Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups mint chip ice cream
4 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies, halved
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup crushed Thin Mint Cookies (optional)

Directions

Cut the wafer cookies in half using a sharp knife. Fill 8 3-ounce paper cups half way with mint-chip ice cream. Gently insert the cookie stick in the center of cup. Finish filling cups with the ice cream and cookie sticks. Place in freezer for an hour to harden.
Melt chocolate chips and oil in a saucepan over low heat. Let the chocolate cool to room temperature. Add crushed cookies, if desired.
Remove Popsicles from mold and dip in chocolate. Serve immediately or place in freezer to set.

Makes 8 Popsicles.

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Peach Rice Pudding Pops

YumSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:15:13 -0700

I'm not the only one obsessed with Popsicles; so is Krystia Castella, the author of the recently released Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone. The book is full of frozen delights, but I was completely intrigued by her recipe for rice pudding Popsicles. For a Summer twist, I replaced the raisins and orange zest with fresh local peaches to complement the creamy and cinnamony rice pudding. I truly enjoyed the flavor of these Popsicles, however, the frozen grains of rice were slightly chewy and interfered with the otherwise smooth texture. During the next heatwave, I'll experiment with pureeing the rice pudding for a more horchata-like consistency. To learn how to make these delicious and original Popsicles, read more!

Basmati Rice Pudding Popsicles
Modified from Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella

Ingredients

3 cups Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
5 Bay Leaves
5 tablespoons Basmati Rice
1/3 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Peaches (one diced into small bit-size pieces and one thinly sliced)

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and sprinkle in the rice. Cook, stirring often, for about 40 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Add the sugar. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.
Stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Stir in peaches.
Pour in Popsicle molds. Once partially filled, insert the thin peach slices on each side of the Popsicle. Insert sticks and wait patiently to freeze for at least 8 hours.

Makes 10 Popsicles.

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Tropical Mango Dreamsicle

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:15:55 -0700

With their tart, sorbet-like outside and smooth center, I love classic orange creamsicles. As I continue my popsicle obsession, I decided to experiment with my own variation. Using mangoes and lime, I made creamsicles with a tropical twist!

The tartness of the lime zest perfectly complements the sweetness of the mango and the creaminess of the vanilla ice cream. Replicating the ice cream center of a creamsicle proved extremely difficult (believe me I tried!) so instead, I opted for a swirl effect by alternating layers of mango-lime puree and ice cream.

If you love the flavor of fresh tropical fruit and want to learn how to make these exotic creamsicles, read more!

Mango-Lime Creamsicle
Original Recipe

Ingredients

2 large mangoes
2 limes
1 1/2 cups of store-bought ice cream
1/4 cup sugar

Directions

Zest and juice the limes, reserving the zest and juice in a bowl.
Dice the mangoes into small pieces: Cut the mango in half lengthwise. With a small sharp knife cut, score the flesh both horizontally and vertically. Pushing on the skin of mango, flip it inside out and cut off the flesh. Add sugar and mangoes to the bowl with lime zest and juice. Stir to combine.
Place the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth.
Fill the popsicle molds alternating layers of the mango puree with layers of the store bought ice cream.
Place in freezer and wait patiently.

Makes 6 popsicles.

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Off to Market Recap: Popsicle Molds

partysugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:00:14 -0700

This summer popsicles are all the rage. While YumSugar's been experimenting with them for weeks now, I have yet to join her on this icy adventure. The reason I haven't made popsicles is because I don't own any popsicle molds. However, I'm dying to whip up some fabulous frozen treats, so you helped me by finding some popsicle molds! You looked for popsicle molds in any color, shape, or size and you bookmarked everything you found in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Popsicle Molds.

I've already ordered this bright blue, silicone mold. It's dishwasher safe, can be folded for easy storage during the Winter and makes fabulously shaped pops! For more pop molds, browse the collection below.

Interested in bookmarking? Read geeksugar's explanation of this feature to learn how to participate.

Drunken Desserts: Watermelon Margarita Popsicles

YumSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:15:12 -0700

The news about the effects of watermelon inspired me to create my newest popsicle: watermelon margarita! Served with a small bowl of margarita salt, these uberfrozen margs were tangy and delicious. Beware, the popsicles contain liquor and melt rather quickly. To avoid a melty mess, I froze my platter for an hour before serving. Learn how to make these simple, scrumptious popsicles when you read more!

Watermelon Margarita Popsicles
Original Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups watermelon puree (roughly 1/4 medium size seedless watermelon)
1/4 cup lime juice (roughly 1 large lime)
3 ounces tequila
1 ounce cointreau
2/3 cup sugar

Directions

Chop the watermelon into small pieces. Using a Cuisinart, puree the watermelon. Place the puree in a large mixing bowl.

Add lime juice and sugar to watermelon puree. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add tequila and cointreau and stir well.

Fill popsicle molds or Dixie cups. If using a dixie cup, cut small squares of tinfoil to cover the top of each of the cups.

Use a sharp small knife and cut small slits in the tops of the tinfoil to insert the popsicle stick.

Place the Dixie cups in a flat bottomed container. Place the popsicles in the freezer and wait patiently until frozen.

Makes 10 3-ounce popsicles.

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