Tender Coconut Popsicles

Summer is here in full force, and to me, summer means staying indoors and consuming all things cold and refreshing. I’m not much of an outdoors person, especially in summer. Plus, with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it’s not ideal to go out.

So, in the spirit of staying home and making things from scratch, I have a recipe for a cold treat that’s perfect for right now.

Summer is basically ice cream and popsicle season, although no rule says you can’t eat ice cream when it’s cold! I love good ice cream; it’s a simple dessert that can be really well made. And, of course, it’s so versatile.

In this post, I will share a popsicle/ice cream recipe that’s super easy to make, does not call for an ice cream machine, and it’s overall very versatile and forgiving.

The recipe is for tender coconut popsicles!! My tender coconut popsicles are inspired by and an ode to the famous Natural’s tender coconut ice cream. The Indian ice cream chain popularised this flavor that has become beloved to everyone who’s had it.

Now, the situation is such that you cannot go out for ice cream, or you may not have a Natural’s outlet where you live, so what do you do when that tender coconut ice cream craving hits? Well, you make it, of course!

Tender coconut is a very underrated flavor; it’s very subdued yet refreshing. It feels like summer. Mangoes, I love you, but coconut is just as good.

My recipe gives you super creamy and flavorful tender coconut popsicles. As I said, it’s easy to make and does not call for any special equipment.

What goes into the tender coconut popsicles?

The base of the popsicle/ice cream mixture consists of two ingredients: heavy cream and condensed milk.

I use unsweetened heavy whipping cream from the brand Amul. I find it a good fit for this recipe. Because the recipe has a minimal number of ingredients and you’re going to taste everything. So you might as well use a dairy-based heavy cream as opposed to the non-dairy ones that are more commonly available.

Still, if you cannot find Amul heavy whipping cream, non-dairy ones will also do; just try to get an unsweetened one. Again, if you can only get sweetened whipping cream, it’s okay; the recipe is very forgiving and flexible. Just don’t use fresh cream, it’s tough to whip, and you don’t want to work out while making ice cream.

The other ingredient(s) is the tender coconut. I buy a whole tender coconut and separate the water and then scoop out the flesh. It’s best to use natural coconut rather than the bottled/packaged ones.

While buying the tender coconut, have the seller cut off the top part, the part which looks like a cap and has small twigs attached. Once you bring the coconut home, find the soft spot on the exposed surface of the tender coconut. Pierce it with a sharp knife and invert it over into a container to collect the water. Use the same sharp knife to cut off a little more of the wood-like part of the coconut and then scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Another option is to just take it back to the seller and have them bust the coconut open with the large ax-like tool.

That’s really all of it; that’s all of the ingredients you need to make these tender coconut popsicles.

What equipment do I need?

The primary tool you need to make these popsicles is an electric mixer; you need one to whip the cream. If you don’t have one, you can also use a wire whisk; this will take significantly longer, though.

You will also need a rubber spatula, a mixer-grinder or a food processor, and lastly, some popsicle molds. My popsicle molds had about 100 ml of volume.

If you don’t have or don’t want to buy popsicle molds, you can just pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container and scoop it out like regular ice cream.

The recipe for tender coconut popsicles

Yields: 6-7 popsicles

Time: 20 minutes plus chilling

INGREDIENTS

• 96 grams (½ cup) tender coconut flesh*

• 60 grams (¼ cup) tender coconut water*

• 135 grams (½ cup) heavy whipping cream

• 100 grams (¼ cup) condensed milk

• 56 grams (¼ cup) tender coconut flesh*, chopped

METHOD

• Add the 96 grams of coconut flesh and the tender coconut water to a mixer-grinder or food processor, and blend until you have a thick paste. Set it aside.

• In a cold bowl, whip the cream until you have stiff peaks.

• Gently fold in the condensed milk, followed by the tender coconut paste and the chopped coconut flesh.

• Spoon about 5 tablespoons of mixture into each of your popsicle molds* or until the mixture reaches just below the lip of the mold.

• Insert the sticks or the caps, whichever ones you have, and freeze the popsicles for 8-12 hours or overnight.

• To unmold the popsicles, dip them in warm water for 10-15 seconds and swiftly pull them out.

Notes

I got the required amount of coconut flesh and water from 2 medium-sized tender coconuts.

You can pour the popsicle/ice cream mixture into any freezer-safe container and freeze the ice cream for the same amount of time.

If you liked this recipe or tried it, let me know in the comments below or post it to my Instagram and Facebook, I'd love to see your creations!

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