Spring has been very kind this year

Spring has been very kind this year, the weather has been pleasantly warm and sunny, we were able to fast-forward to sandals, BBQ and homemade ice cream – no complaints at all! By now our loyal ice cream maker would have been churning away for days, yet it has been put to a rest lately, popsicles are THE THING in our freezer right now.

The pudding pops from the kitchn have been sitting on my to-try-list for almost a year and in hindsight I consider that a huge mistake. They are by far the most substantial frozen treat on a stick I ever had, the rice grains add a wonderful chewy aspect to these popsicles and the addition of fruit makes this dessert completely versatile. I adapted the recipe to my own liking and used up some raspberries waiting patiently in our fridge – the combination of raspberries and coconut milk had proven to be a winner before.
If you like rice pudding you simply HAVE TO MAKE this recipe! If you don’t have popsicle molds, you can alternatively use small, sturdy glasses (like IKEA votive holders) with wood freezer pop sticks instead (available e.g. at Amazon, I got some at my local pharmacy in the past). But all the available popsicle molds out there are way too tempting… I still haven’t found my dream molds though! Have you?

Mash raspberries with a fork and sweeten to taste with sugar, if at all necessary. Set aside. (Feel free to experiment, the kitchn used chopped mango, and I’m sure bananas or other soft fruits will work great, too.) Set aside.
Combine coconut milk, milk and the pinch of salt in a huge pot, then bring to a boil. Add the rice and let simmer over low to medium heat - stir regularly to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom - until the rice is very tender, 22 to 25 minutes. The mixture will be pretty viscous in the end (you can add a little more milk, if the mixture is too firm). Remove from heat and add the sweetened condensed milk.
Either mix together the rice pudding and the fruits or fill into the popsicle molds using a layering technic. Insert sticks and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To release the popsicles from their molds, either briefly dip into warm water or warm the molds with your hands. Enjoy!