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Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops
These Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops with Strawberry Magic Shell are probably my new favorite frozen treat! And while they do take a little more time to make, they're SO simple to make!
The strawberry vanilla bean ice cream is a Philadelphia-style ice cream base that requires an ice cream maker. This is the ice cream maker that I use, which I love because it doesn't require freezing the bowl in advance. However, both Cuisinart and Breville have cheaper options that work just as well and take up less space!
Philadelphia-Style Ice Cream
So what is Philadelphia-style ice cream, exactly? Spoiler: it actually has nothing to do with cream cheese.
Traditional ice cream (also known as "French-style" ice cream), is made using a custard base that contains eggs. Egg yolks make ice cream thicker and richer, so Philadelphia-style ice cream is much lighter in comparison. In the U.S., most ice creams are still made with eggs, sugar, cream, milk (a minimum of 10% milkfat is required for it to be legally labeled as ice cream), and a variety of flavorings. With Philly-style ice cream, aside from any flavorings, it's made with only milk, cream, and sugar. (Read: no fooling around with custards or anything!)
How to Make Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops with Strawberry Magic Shell
There are only two main components to this delicious, strawberry vanilla bean ice cream pops with strawberry magic shell, as the name might suggest.
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops
The strawberry vanilla bean ice cream base comes together super quickly. To make the ice cream base, you'll whisk together the milk, sugar, salt, and freeze-dried strawberry powder until the sugar is dissolved. (You can find freeze-dried strawberry powder on Amazon or just toss freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor and make your own). Then you'll stir in the heavy cream and vanilla bean paste until combined. That's it! From there, you'll cover and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Just make sure to give the chilled ice cream base one more quick mix before adding it to your ice cream maker!
Once you've churned your ice cream, you'll divide it amongst your ice cream pop molds, and then it's off to the freezer! You should really let the ice cream freeze in the molds overnight for the best results. These are the regular-sized molds I used, and these are the mini molds!
Strawberry Magic Shell
Magic shell is essentially chocolate warmed with a neutral oil, which means that when it comes into contact with something cold (like ice cream), it solidifies into an amazing, crunchy, crackly shell... like magic.
I made this magic shell using Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration, which is made with cocoa butter and freeze-dried strawberry powder, meaning that it has an insane strawberry flavor without being too sweet. If you aren't able to get the strawberry couvertures though, white chocolate or milk/dark chocolate would also make an amazing magic shell coating to pair with the strawberry vanilla bean ice cream. The ratio for the magic shell is approximately 1 part neutral oil to 5 parts chocolate, by weight.
To make the magic shell, you'll simply melt together the chocolate and the neutral oil over a double boiler until smooth and combined. Once completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool to about 100°F (37°C) or cooler. If you attempt to coat the ice cream pops before the temperature of the chocolate drops to 100°F (37°C), the magic shell will harden slightly and then slide right off the ice cream pop back into your melted chocolate mixture; aka you will make a mess.
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Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops with Strawberry Magic Shell
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
- Ice Cream Pop Molds
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops:
- 360 g milk *
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 30 g freeze-dried strawberry powder
- pinch of salt
- 480 g heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
For the Strawberry Magic Shell:
- 400 g Strawberry Inspiration
- 80 g canola oil
- melted white chocolate to drizzle
Instructions
To Make the Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Pops:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla bean paste. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
- Transfer the chilled ice cream base to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Divide the ice cream mixture evenly amongst your ice cream molds. Add the popsicle sticks and freeze until solid, ideally overnight.
To Make the Strawberry Magic Shell:
- In a large heatproof bowl, combine the Strawberry Inspiration and canola oil, then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with just two inches of simmering water over medium heat. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir well, heating until the mixture is smooth and combined.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool to 99˚F (37˚C). Transfer the mixture to a narrow jar or glass that is wide enough and deep enough to dip your ice cream pops into.
- While the magic shell cools, carefully un-mold the ice cream pops, and place back into the freezer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until ready to be dipped.
Assembly:
- Working with one ice cream pop at a time, dip it into the jar of magic shell, ensuring that it is evenly coated. Allow any excess to drip off, then place back onto the sheet pan in the freezer (I like to do this near the freezer, only bringing out one ice cream pop at a time). Repeat with the remaining ice cream pops until all of them are coated.
- Allow coated ice cream pops to sit in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up completely before drizzling with melted white chocolate. If needed, add a little canola oil to the white chocolate to help make it easier to drizzle. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer.
Notes
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Alana
How do you make your own magic shell without the strawberry inspiration?
Michael Johnson
You can replace the strawberry inspiration with an equal amount of another type of chocolate. So that would be either 14oz of milk, white, or dark chocolate!