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Watermelon Ice Pops

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on July 28, 2011

Yield

Serves 12 (Makes 12 pops)

Watermelon Ice Pops

Ingredients

½ small seedless watermelon ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar ¼ cup mini chocolate chips 1 pint lime sherbet, softened

Before You Begin

The melon mixture must be partially frozen before the chocolate chip “seeds” can be suspended in it.

Instructions

  1. Make watermelon ice: Scoop out and measure 5 cups watermelon pulp. Puree watermelon and sugar in batches in blender until smooth. Push puree through mesh strainer into medium bowl. Cover and freeze until puree is slightly slushy but not yet solid, 2 to 3 hours. Remove from freezer and stir well, scraping any slush from sides of bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.
  2. Freeze pops: Place twelve 3-ounce disposable cups in shallow baking pan. Spoon watermelon puree into cups (puree will come to within 1/2 inch of rims). Place pan in freezer until puree is solid but not rock hard, 1 to 2 hours.
  3. Add “rind”: Spread softened sherbet on top of each portion of watermelon puree so that it comes up to edge of cup; smooth sherbet with back of spoon. Cover each cup with plastic wrap and cut small slit in center of plastic. Insert Popsicle stick into pop so that it almost reaches bottom of cup. Freeze until solid, at least 5 hours and up to 2 days.
  4. Unmold: Let pops sit at room temperature for 1 minute, then gently pull out from cups. (Alternatively, paper cups can be peeled away from pops.) Serve.
Watermelon Ice Pops

Watermelon Ice Pops

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 12 (Makes 12 pops)

Ingredients

½ small seedless watermelon
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
1 pint lime sherbet, softened

Ingredients

½ small seedless watermelon
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
1 pint lime sherbet, softened

Ingredients

½ small seedless watermelon
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
1 pint lime sherbet, softened

Why This Recipe Works

Watermelon puree, chocolate chips, and lime sherbet come together to create these whimsical Watermelon Pops. We pureed watermelon with a little sugar for the “watermelon" layer, straining the puree prior to freezing to remove any stringy fiber or wayward seeds. We distributed the puree among small cups and partially froze them before “planting" the chocolate-chip seeds. The chips sank to the bottom when the puree wasn’t partially frozen. We used lime sherbet to mimic the rind base.

Before You Begin

The melon mixture must be partially frozen before the chocolate chip “seeds” can be suspended in it.

Instructions

  1. Make watermelon ice: Scoop out and measure 5 cups watermelon pulp. Puree watermelon and sugar in batches in blender until smooth. Push puree through mesh strainer into medium bowl. Cover and freeze until puree is slightly slushy but not yet solid, 2 to 3 hours. Remove from freezer and stir well, scraping any slush from sides of bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.
  2. Freeze pops: Place twelve 3-ounce disposable cups in shallow baking pan. Spoon watermelon puree into cups (puree will come to within 1/2 inch of rims). Place pan in freezer until puree is solid but not rock hard, 1 to 2 hours.
  3. Add “rind”: Spread softened sherbet on top of each portion of watermelon puree so that it comes up to edge of cup; smooth sherbet with back of spoon. Cover each cup with plastic wrap and cut small slit in center of plastic. Insert Popsicle stick into pop so that it almost reaches bottom of cup. Freeze until solid, at least 5 hours and up to 2 days.
  4. Unmold: Let pops sit at room temperature for 1 minute, then gently pull out from cups. (Alternatively, paper cups can be peeled away from pops.) Serve.

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