Homemade Butterscotch Ice Lollies Recipe
No need to fret over the gelatin in this recipe, peeps. It's all about that smooth, velvety texture in those frozen and pudding forms of this scrumptious dessert. Gelatin helps avoid that grainy cornstarch mess. The deep, dark brown sugar is the secret ingredient for some serious caramel goodness. But if you're feeling adventurous, throw in a couple tablespoons of Scotch with the vanilla and salt for an extra kick.
As for the special equipment, you'll need freezer pop molds for this recipe. We used these delicious pop molds, but any kind will suffice. If yours lack sticks that stay put, buy some wooden sticks and insert them an hour into the freezing time. You'll also need an instant-read thermometer for cooking the pudding.
This dessert was part of our "Homemade Pudding Pops" project.
- Yield: Around 10 (2-ounce) pops
- Difficulty: A piece of cake (or rather, a piece of pudding)
- Total: 25 minutes, plus around 3 hours freezing time
Ingredients (6)
- 1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (half a stick), cut into small chunks
- 2 cups cold half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Combine the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar melts, the butter is incorporated, and the mixture is bubbling like crazy, around 8 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1 3/4 cups of the half-and-half in a gentle, steady stream. Keep whisking until smooth and combined, and then set the pan aside.
- Pour the remaining 1/4 cup half-and-half into a small bowl. Evenly sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let stand without messing with it for about 3 minutes (it'll start to look all wavy and wrinkled).
- Return the sugar/butter/half-and-half mixture to a gentle simmer and add the gelatin mixture. Whisk continuously, checking the temperature occasionally on an instant-read thermometer, until the gelatin dissolves and no longer feels grainy, around 4 minutes. (Be careful not to let the mixture boil or go above 170°F or the gelatin won't set properly.)
- Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl and pour the mixture through the strainer. Chuck the leftovers. Divide the mixture among the pop molds and freeze until frozen, around 3 hours. Alternatively, to serve as pudding, divide the mixture among ramekins and refrigerate until set, around 3 hours. (To avoid the skin that forms on the surface of pudding, cover each ramekin with some cling film and make sure it's directly touching the pudding.)
If you don't have pop molds, here are some alternative options:- Mini Silicone Cupcake Molds- Ramekins- Non-Toxic Popsicle Molds (BPA-free, eco-friendly)- Baking Trays (for bars or cubes)
Just make sure to grease the molds before filling if needed, and keep them clean and dry before use. Enjoy your homemade pudding pops!
- The gelatin-incorporated mixture will help achieve a smooth and velvety texture in the frozen pudding pops, avoiding a grainy cornstarch mess.
- Although the recipe calls for pop molds, other options such as mini silicone cupcake molds, ramekins, non-toxic popsicle molds, or baking trays can be used instead, provided they are greased before filling and kept clean and dry.
- The unflavored powdered gelatin plays a crucial role in the recipe, contributing to the desired texture, and should not be omitted.
- Follow the instructions carefully, particularly the temperature guidelines, to ensure the gelatin dissolves properly and sets correctly in the pudding.
