Tres Leches Paletas

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Hispanic

Keyword: ice cream, paletas, popsicles, tres leches

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 0

freezing time: 3

Total Time: 3 10

Servings:

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

A sweet, creamy twist on the classic cake.

Print Recipe

Equipment

immersion blender or electric hand mixer
popsicle molds (2 needed)
popsicle sticks

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (375 milliliters) heavy cream
14 ounce can (396 grams) sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt optional
1 1/2 cups (375 milliliters) whole milk
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) almond extract

Optional Garnish

rainbow sprinkles
nonpareils

Instructions

Whip the Heavy Cream

Set a metal mixing bowl in a shallow dish of ice water.
Add the heavy cream to the metal mixing bowl and use an immersion blender to whip the cream at medium-high speed for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the cream holds stiff peaks when you lift the whip from its surface.

Combine the Tres Leches Mixture

In a separate mixing bowl, use the whip from your immersion blender (or a rubber spatula) to stir together the sweetened condensed milk and the salt until the salt is mostly dissolved.
Use a rubber spatula to fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture until they are combined.
Next, stir in the whole milk and almond extract until the mixture is smooth and no clumps of whipped cream are visible.

Fill the Popsicle Molds and Freeze the Paletas

Put the popsicle molds on a sheetpan to make transferring them to the freezer after filling them easier.
Pour the tres leches mixture into the cavities of the popsicle molds until only 1/8-inch of space remains.
Sprinkle the surface with a pinch of rainbow sprinkles or nonpareils or leave them plain.
Cover the molds and insert the wooden popsicle sticks into each cavity until only a 1/2-inch of the stick is visible.
Freeze the paletas for at least 3 hours if you're using metal molds. If you're using any other type of mold, it's best to freeze them overnight.

Unmold and Wrap

Once the paletas are completely frozen, dip the bottoms of the molds in a bowl of warm water to loosen them. Dip the mold in and out of the water quickly and wiggle the paleta out.
If you're using a silicone mold, you need to flip it upside down and run warm water over the bottom of the mold.
After removing each paleta from its mold, wrap it in a square of wax or parchment paper and set it on a small sheet pan.
Once they're all unmolded and wrapped, put the pan of paletas back in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm them up again.
Once firm enough to handle, transfer the tres leches paletas to a freezer storage bag and freeze for 2 months.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

Make these dairy-free by replacing the heavy cream with coconut whipping cream, the sweetened condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk, and the whole milk with coconut milk or soy milk.
Swap the almond extract for vanilla, orange, or coffee extract instead.

Customization Ideas:

After molding, garnish your paletas with:

Sprinkles or nonpareils
Toasted coconut flakes
Dipped in chocolate coating: made with 1 cup (170 grams) of semi-sweet chocolate chips melted together with 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of coconut oil and stirred together until smooth.

Tips and Techniques:

You don't have to whip the cream, but the paletas will be harder and not as soft or creamy if you don't.
If you don't have two popsicle molds, fill and freeze the first batch and store the remaining milk mixture in a covered container in the fridge.
The water for loosening the paletas from the molds doesn't have to be super hot, just warm.
Wrapping paletas in paper wrapping keeps the paletas from sticking together or growing ice crystals in the freezer.

Storage Instructions:

Freeze paletas for 2 months in a freezer storage bag, pressing out any air from the bag when you open it. Store the bag in the middle of the freezer to keep their temperature from fluctuating, which creates ice crystals.

Nutrition