Paletas de Arroz con Leche
By Hailey Schwartz
Yields: 6 paletas (ice pops)
Photo by Hailey Schwartz
Ingredients
1/2 cup rice
2 ⅔ cups 2% milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 5” cinnamon stick
Instructions
Photo by Hailey Schwartz
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all ingredients and stir together. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low to bring to a simmer. Cook for 35-45 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened. Stir occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the stove and allow the arroz con leche mixture to cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes so that it is easier to handle.*
Prepare the ice-pop molds. Silicon molds are recommended, but plastic molds can be used too. (If you do not have molds, you can DIY them using paper cups and popsicle sticks!)
Transfer the arroz con leche into a pitcher or use a ladle to gently scoop it into the molds (a small funnel is highly recommended for this step). Use a spoon to gently pack the mixture into the molds. Fill until ~1 cm from the top of the mold. Extra ground cinnamon can be used to gently dust over the tops of the filled molds. Cover and insert sticks.
Freeze ice pops overnight. To remove from molds, pour hot water across the bottoms of the molds to gently loosen the ice pops. ¡Buen provecho!
*If you prefer a creamier texture, at this point you can blend a portion (or all) of the arroz con leche before pouring into the molds. You may also add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste.