Butterscotch Pudding Pops Recipe
By
Amy Wisniewski
Difficulty: Easy |
Total Time:
25 mins, plus about 3 hrs freezing time
|
Makes:
About 10 (2-ounce) pops
Don’t be intimidated by the gelatin in this recipe. It adds a rich, smooth texture to the frozen and pudding versions of this dessert, rather than the grainy texture of cornstarch. The dark brown sugar ensures serious caramel action, but if you really want to punch up the flavor, add a couple tablespoons of Scotch in with the vanilla and salt.
Special equipment: You will need freezer pop molds for this recipe. We used these molds, but any kind will work. If yours don’t come with sticks that attach securely, you can buy wooden sticks and insert them 1 hour into the freezing time.
You will also need an instant-read thermometer for cooking the pudding.
This recipe was featured as part of our Make Your Own Pudding Pops project.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces
- 2 cups cold half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted, the butter is incorporated, and the mixture is bubbling vigorously, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1 3/4 cups of the half-and-half in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking until smooth and combined, then set the pan aside.
- Pour the remaining 1/4 cup half-and-half into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let stand without disturbing until the gelatin softens, about 3 minutes (it will start to look wavy and wrinkled).
- Return the sugar/butter/half-and-half mixture to low heat 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, about 4 minutes. (Do not let the mixture boil or go above 170°F, or the gelatin will not 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. Discard the solids. Divide the mixture among the pop molds and freeze until frozen, about 3 hours. Alternatively, to serve as pudding, divide the mixture among ramekins and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. (To avoid the skin that forms on the surface of pudding, cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and make sure it’s directly touching the pudding.)
Forat, this is a dairy product that consists of half milk and half cream. Look for it in the aisle near to the milk and cream. It should be cold, (as opposed to room temperature if you were baking a cake) for this recipe.
Amy, CHOW test kitchen
what do you mean by cold cup half-and-half?!
She does mean the alcoholic beverage, Scotch.
When you say you can use Scotch to punch it up, are you referring to liquor?
CloggieGirl, I chose gelatin not only to be true to the original pudding pops, but because it is freezer stable. Cornstarch will eventually break down in the freezer and arrowroot tends to turn slimy when used with dairy. You could use powdered agar agar as a sub - about a 1:1 ratio (though I did not test it), but it tends to gel stiffer than gelatin. If you're not planning to make straight-up...+READ
CloggieGirl, I chose gelatin not only to be true to the original pudding pops, but because it is freezer stable. Cornstarch will eventually break down in the freezer and arrowroot tends to turn slimy when used with dairy. You could use powdered agar agar as a sub - about a 1:1 ratio (though I did not test it), but it tends to gel stiffer than gelatin. If you're not planning to make straight-up pudding, and just the frozen pops, you can leave out the gelling agents altogether, though the texture will be a little different, the flavor will be the same.
Amy, CHOW test kitchen-COLLAPSE
Can agar or another vegetarian option be substituted for the gelatin?