Looking To Make My Own Coconut Popsicles and Ice Cream

I'm more of a heavy cream, frozen custard type of guy, so that's where most of my experience with ice cream making lies.

So here's the problem. Ice cream makers meant for home just don't freeze fast enough. I've never had one that can get the job done before pesky ice crystals start showing up. The less fat you have in the recipe, the worse this problem is going to be. I have come across two different methods that work alright for me.

First, the dry ice method. The problems with this method are the extra cost of the dry ice, increased overrun, and sensitivity to adding too much dry ice. The good part is that dry ice will freeze your base way super fast, preventing ice crystal formation. I just put my refrigerated base into a stand mixer and whisk in pulverized dry ice until it is just frozen. If you don't get the dry ice smashed up enough or add too much, it will dissolve CO2 into the mixture and the ice cream will taste fizzy, like soda. If you add it too slowly, you'll end up whipping a bunch of air into the base, increasing overrun, which leads to a less creamy texture.

The second method that I like is the Serious Eats method. Follow the link for details. Basically, it involves using ice cube trays to freeze the base quickly, then blending the cubes together in a food processor. I've tried it laying out base into thin layers one sheet trays instead of ice cube trays and the results have been really good. The link also has further details about ice cream making which you may find interesting or useful.

For your ice cream recipe, if you have trouble with texture, you may wish to try replacing the milk with evaporated milk and/or adding egg yolks. If you add egg yolks, you'll want to cook the base as though you were making creme anglaise.

I don't really make popsicles much, but many of the same principles will apply. You'll get structurally stronger pops with a long, slow freeze, but they will have an icier texture. Freeze them faster and they'll have a smoother texture, but may be a little softer at a given temperature.

Use canned coconut milk not the cream and adjust the sweetness level if need be with sugar.  I find that stuff way too sweet (cream) and I like to have more control....just a personal take on it.  Plus I think the straight up coconut milk has a much better flavor

This sounds like a really tasty idea. Looking forward to hear how the result will be
 

 You have the ingredients close enough but i doubt you will ever match the flavor of the palletas of Mexico, My wife makes and sells the popsicles or as they are known in Mexico, palletas. Today we have 6 freezers running including a display freezer. The machine she uses can take molds of 25 from liquid state to frozen in a bag in less than 15 minutes. We run the smallest machine on the market as far as I can tell and can still do 150 to 200 an hour if so desired. Depending on the mold used it will hold 2 to 4 at a time...that is lots of palletas in an 8 hour day. The machine runs at about 15 below F. The process is , fill the mold with the desired flavor and put into the machine where it floats in a solution of water and calcium cloride. In 5 to 7 minutes you put in the popsicle sticks and another 5 to 7 minutes you pull the mold and bag the product.

 The whole trick is a flash freeze, as I was told. Otherwise instead of creamy you get icy product. 

kgirl,

i know you said you wanted to make creamy pops, but you might want to consider making fruit based ones, especially with all the beautiful summer fruits and berries...you could do layered pops...think watermelon and lime sherbet, or guava and passionfruit...for you cocktail party you could make lime margarita pops..... oh, you can make them in those little paper nut cups and set them in a muffin tin at a slight angle if you like....put a stick in them when half frozen or wrap the cups with saran, rubber band the cup, cut a slit in the top and put in the stick, then freeze

as an aside i made a dulce de leche(mexican caramel) sauce as birthday gift the other day, but instead of using sweetened condensed i used coconut milk......better than good and easy breezy...i know how much you like coconut, so thought this would be a good fit....pouring it over vanilla bean ice cream is simple beauty.

joey

oh, for your cocktail party just a thought...how about something southwesty? mini chicken quesadillas with grilled salsa roja and salsa verde, empanadas, mini pork tacos, mini mojo grilled vegetable kebabs, grilled fruit(mango, peaches, watermelon)......that kind of thing...you know.....FUN FOOD!

i created(?) a drink for a true friend a while back...i call it the 'ya ya dreamsicle'.......

1 pint good vanilla ice cream

3 tbl orange juice

3 tbl vodka

3 tbl cointreu or triple sec

in blender...blend.....

i don't know who jim is, but will try to send something to you soon....i'm off to the salt mines right now....the watermelon is one layer (i use the small 'dulcinea' melons), and the lime sherbet is another layer......

joey

guess you'd be the new sherrif in town eh?