Jelly Tip Ice Cream Pops

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Confession time. I made these last year. As in, I tested the recipe a few times, made them, styled them, shot them, edited the photos, exported to my computer, drafted the recipe, and then didn't post them because I never got around to it, and suddenly it was cold. And then I totally forgot about them, until yesterday when I was flicking through my computer grabbing some photos for a project and stumbled across a little folder of goodness deep in my hard drive. And i'm not going to lie, I was pretty stoked - a) because the photos look ok ish (i've found old folders of photos before and just deleted on the spot and remade) and b) because it's been an entire week that the gas has been turned off in our building, so neither the stove or the baking part of the oven works, and i'm getting close to cutting someone. I just bought a little hotplate so we can make pasta, and I have a little toaster oven, but I'm not very impressed at all. Here's hoping it gets fixed, and in the mean time you can have last years jelly tip recipe!

These are based on an ice block (ice cream pop) I grew up on / still eat whenever i'm home - the jelly tip! The concept is very simple - it's literally a jelly tipped ice cream, dipped in chocolate. It's the best thing ever. There have been a bunch of jelly tip inspired ice creams, chocolate, and trashy shots when I was at university, but nothing compares to the real deal.

These homemade versions are super easy to make, and perfect for this summer! All you have to do is make some jelly (jello for americans) with half the amount of water that you usually would. You then fill up your popsicle moulds (we spell moulds / molds different too haha) a third of the way with this mixture, stick the stick in, and freeze. The jelly is then topped off with a creamy vanilla bean ice cream - you could definitely use store bought here and re-freeze, but making your own ice cream is much easier than it looks, and extra delicious. Once they are nice and frozen, the whole thing is dipped in a chocolate magic shell situation, which hardens into a crispy, thin shell that shatters when you bite into it. The whole thing then goes back into the freezer until you are ready to serve. These would be perfect to bring out of the freezer as a dessert to finish off a summer bbq, or perfect at a party! Secret popsicles in the freezer is one of my favourite things to do if we have people over - all the work is done beforehand, you just have to hand them out when you're ready to serve!

A few wee tips:

• I used Raspberry 'jello' for this recipe - I think that most packets of jelly will work, just make sure that you make it with half the amount of water required so it freezes without being too icy. The real jelly tips had a slightly bouncy texture - probably from a specially formulated recipe, but this works just as well!

• You're going to have some ice cream leftover - store in a covered container in the freezer.

• I made 6 pops, because that's how many popsicle moulds I had, but you will have some ice cream left over if you only make 6. Either you can make more pops if you have more moulds (you may need another packet of jelly), or you can just transfer the extra ice cream into a container and freeze for another time.

• The recipe for the chocolate shell makes quite a lot - the reason for this is that you need to have enough of it to dip the ice creams into it completely. I put it in a narrow mason jar (make sure the ice cream pop will fit in), so that when I dipped in the ice cream pop, it displaced the chocolate shell enough to cover the whole pop nicely. You can keep the extra in the jar and re-heat when needed to serve as chocolate shell on your leftover ice cream 😉

• I made the jelly, poured into the moulds, froze, then made the anglaise and left to cool. A few hours later, once the anglaise was cool and the jelly was frozen, I churned the ice cream and added to the moulds. They were left to freeze overnight, then unmoulded, briefly re-frozen and dipped the next day. You can make the anglaise the day before you start if you like! Just make sure you allow enough time for the different components to freeze.

• I use this popsicle mold. It's a little expensive, but so worth it when it comes to getting them out of the mold. So much easier to use, and the little lids help suspend the sticks perfectly in the ice cream.

 

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Jelly Tip Ice Cream Pops

- Makes about 6 -

Jelly
One box raspberry flavoured jelly / jello, made with half the quantity of water called for on the packet

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
4 large egg yolks
⅔ cup (135g) sugar
1 ½ cups (360ml) whole milk
1 Tbsp vanilla paste, or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Shell Coating
225g good quality dark chocolate
¼ cup (55g) refined coconut oil

- PROCESS -

JELLY TIPS

Make up the packet of jelly, using half the amount of boiling water specified in the instructions. Fill each popsicle mould (I used 6) either a quarter or a third of the way full, depending on your desired jelly to ice cream ratio. Do not add the sticks yet. Freeze until solid.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk well until pale. Set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the whole milk and vanilla paste. Warm until bubbles begin to form around the outer edge of the pot. Bring to a light simmer. Remove from the heat. Pour half of the milk into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Whisk briskly until combined. This will temper the egg yolks and stop them from scrambling.

Pour the milk yolk mixture back into the pot, and return to a low heat. Whisk constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon, and registers at 170˚f / 75˚c on a thermometer.

Strain though a fine mesh strainer. Stir in the cream. Transfer to an airtight container and chill for at least two hours, or overnight. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Remove the popsicle moulds from the freezer, and fill each one to the top with ice cream, making sure that you tap the mould firmly on a flat surface to ensure there are no air bubbles between the jelly and the ice cream. Add the sticks to the ice cream pops, and freeze until completely solid.

CHOCOLATE SHELL

Just before you are ready to dip the ice creams, Place the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well between each, until smooth and shiny. Transfer to a jar wide enough to fit the ice cream pop (I used a narrow mason jar), and allow to cool slightly.

ASSEMBLY

Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and place in the freezer. Quickly run each popsicle mould under hot water, and carefully remove from the mould. Place each ice cream pop on the lined baking sheet in the freezer, and repeat until all the pops have been unmoulded. Leave to freeze for 10 mins or so just to allow them to re-set a little.

Working with one pop at a time, dip each ice cream in the chocolate shell, ensuring it is evenly covered. Allow to set, then place back in the freezer. Repeat with each ice cream until all are coated. Store in the freezer until ready to serve. Extra pops, once frozen and coated, can be stored in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Allow to freeze completely solid before transferring to the bag, so they don't stick together.