Coconut Mango Sticky Rice Popsicles

I’m back from my little vacation from blogging. I went a little while without posting. I have had some very time consuming things come up in my life recently and I just haven’t had the energy to make time to blog. I don’t know about you and where you live, but here in Columbus we have been having a major heat wave. My husband and I had to carry our mattress down into the basement because it is so much cooler than up stairs and we couldn’t sleep up there, even with the AC on. My husband is crazy and has continued to go out side running, even through the 100 degree weather. After a run like that, a person needs a popsicle. Don’t you agree?

Actually, I think I need a popsicle right now!

This popsicle is inspired by that yummy dessert you can get at a Thai restaurant with sweet coconut sticky rice topped with fresh mangos. Have you ever had mango sticky rice? If you haven’t, it may sound strange to you. But I assure you, it is one of the best things on this planet. Go find a Thai restaurant right now and order yourself a plate of mango sticky rice. And then, go home and make these popsicles. These popsicles are creamy and chewy at the same time and then you get a kick of fresh mango. The rice makes it chewy, and although it seems strange at first, it really grows on you. After my first bite, I thought the rice was strange. By the last bite, I was craving another popsicle!

Just a disclaimer: This recipe makes a lot of popsicles. You will need a lot of molds and you may still have left overs. Feel free to split this recipe in half.

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk
• 1 1/4 C. whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 C. uncooked short-grain or Arborio rice (don’t use long grain rice!)
• 1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 C. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 large ripe mangos

Directions:

1. Whisk the coconut milk and whole milk together in a large pot. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean, and throw the bean in the pot. Stir in the rice and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is soft. Make sure it is cooked all the way through. It just doesn’t work if it is al dente.

3. Whisk in the condensed milk, water, vanilla extract, and salt. Peel the mango and chip into small cubes. Fold the mango into the mixture.

3. Transfer the mixture into popsicle molds. The bigger the mold, the better. A small opening makes it hard to fit in the mangos. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Run molds under warm water to loosen popsicles.

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

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