Pina Colada Ice Pops!

Hey everyone! The recent heat wave has had me desperate for a cold treat but nothing in my fridge seemed to suffice. Correction: no individual component would suffice. A can of light coconut milk, frozen pineapple, shredded coconut, sugar and a few dashes of rum later and we were in business. The mix makes enough for 6-8 pops depending on how large your set is. For reference, mine are 3oz each and I got six pops. 

A few notes:

The light coconut milk still contains a fair amount of water, which helps the pops freeze but can also effect taste. I didn't want a terribly sweet pop so I lessened the sugar but there's room for more. You can also use less coconut milk and keep the other ingredients the same to amp up the flavor.

The shredded coconut adds much needed texture and flavor so I wouldn't suggest skipping it.

You can use vanilla extract in place of rum but the rum is barely noticeable. Vanilla extract derived from alcohol anyway so pick your poison I suppose. And if you learned anything from your 20's you know alcohol doesn't freeze so keep it in check or you'll end up with slush.

You'll need:

1 can of light coconut milk

1/2 heaping cup frozen or fresh pineapple

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

1 1/2 tsps rum

Mix ingredients in a blender. Divide into molds, make sure any solids on the bottom of the blender are evenly distributed throughout the molds for maximum taste. Freeze for 4-6 hours.

This tropical treat is a great way to cool down and momentarily envision yourself on a palm tree covered beach. Anyone have other sweet treats to beat the heat with? Let's hear 'em! Until the next dish, ciao!