I happen to be the very proud owner of vintage Tupperware popcicle molds - the exact ones my Mother owned back in the early 1970's. But when I was shopping at my local Walmart a few weeks ago I came across these primary colored ice pop molds that were on clearance. For a quarter (yes, a quarter!) I picked up 4 of them.
I wasn't in the mood for popcicles so I decided to make pudding pops!
Pudding Pops
1 package cook and serve chocolate pudding
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (unflavored or vanilla)
1 cup evaporated milk, half and half or heavy cream
1 teaspoons vanilla (freezing the pops mellows the vanilla flavoring so I like to add a bit extra)
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin with a couple tablespoons of cold water to soften it
Sprinkle the dry unflavored gelatin over a couple tablespoons cold water. Let it set to soften a couple minutes. Mix the pudding mix according to directions but use a mixture of almond milk and heavy cream or half and half. You can also use evaporated milk (this is the the kind without water in it; NOT the same as sweetened condensed milk). Whisk in the gelatin mixture and cook over medium heat according to directions on the pudding package. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes while you get the molds ready. Pour into the molds and freeze for 10-12 hours as the pudding mixture is so warm it will take longer to cool then freeze. If you opt to use instant, it should freeze in 3-4 hours instead.
For the Vanilla versions I simply made homemade vanilla pudding, added the gelatin and repeated the instructions above by pouring and freezing.
1 c half and half or cream
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c natural granulated sweetener
2 t unflavored gelatin
3 egg yolks
3 T butter - real
4 t vanilla extract
Sprinkle the dry gelatin over a couple tablespoons of water or half and half. Let it set. Combine the sweetener and milk(s) of choice in a pan on the stove. Cook over medium heat until the sweetener is dissolved. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and slowly drizzle in about a cup of the hot milk(s) mixture in while whisking. As soon as it's incorporated, pour this back into the pan with the milk/sweeteners. Whisk in the gelatin and the vanilla. After a couple minutes of cooking and whisking; Turn off the heat, add the butter. Let this cool for 5-10 minutes while you get the molds ready. When it's cooled a bit, pour and deep freeze for 10-12 hours.
Run hot water over the pop-ice molds for a minute to loosen the pudding pop from the mold so it slides out easily.
