Pudding Pop Experiment

[Schielke]

I am planning on attempting to recreate the classic Jello pudding pop. I plan on trying this with regular Jello chocolate pudding mix and also some homeade puddings or other mixes.

I would appreciate any suggestions for mixes, pudding recipes, or pudding pop recipes and resources.

This will be an ongoing project and I hope to post pics of the completed pops. I want to try to get that wavey pattern that was on the old pudding pops.

Also I would love to hear your thoughts on pudding pops.

Man, I cant wait to make the first batch.

Ben

[jhlurie]

[col klink]

First make the standard chocolate Jello pudding. Then get medium pork casings (or the next size up, they're both good), stuff and twist every 6 inches. Let them drain overnite and smoke them the next day for an hour at 225 degrees F. Separate all links and insert wooden handles in each link. Place in vacuum bags, seal and set in freezer. Should have the best puddin' pops you ever had in three to four hours.

[Dave the Cook]

No brine?

[Elizabeth_11]

I'm a big pudding pop fan. My advice would be to find a really kick-ass pudding recipe from scratch and freeze it, although instant jello brand might taste more authentic---who knows. I don't know of a really great recipe offhand, but I'll post it if I come across one. It's good to see someone else my age around here.....do you work in the culinary field?

[col klink]

   

No brine?

Not with dairy products, they tend to curdle at high temperatures.

[nightscotsman]

If you want to get a good texture that doesn't have large, sharp ice crystals throughout the pop, I would recommend processing the chilled pudding in an ice cream machine of some kind before packing in molds and inserting sticks. And don't use instant pudding - the cooked version (with whole milk!) is worth the extra effort.

[Schielke]

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody! Keep em coming, I could especially use a homeade pudding recipe.

Tonight I got started with a bang and made two seperate batches. I did this before reading what anybody said so I didnt manage to pick up sausage casings or use an Ice cream machine.

I picked up two boxes of instant pudding (cook top stuff next time nightscotsman), one chocolate fudge and one vanilla. I grabbed some 2% milk as well. I think I may try whole next time too. I also got some premade pudding snacks to see how they would work too. All of these would go into paper cups with spoons inserted as handles.

The Equipment

First, I directly transfered the premade pudding snacks to cups with spoons. I marked the bottom of them with a "P" for Premade and put them straight in to the freezer. Only 5/6 of the pudding snacks fulfilled their destiny as pops, a rouge party stole a cup in the construction process!

Premade Jello Pudding Pops

Next, I whipped up a batch of Chocolate Fudge pudding and Vanilla pudding. I am hoping to create the marbling effect that I remember in the pudding pops. I do think that the quality of these puddings will be greatly improved if I do the stovetop versions with whole milk as nightscotsman suggested. They tasted ok, but with a large artifical overtone.

Chocolate Fudge and Vanilla

With these two batches, I assembled the pops. I made two pure chocolate pops and the rest were marbled. I alternated the pudding as I filled the cups to hopefully create the marbled look.

I think I am going to call the one in the middle row on the far left "stripey".

I was also pretty happy with myself at this point.

I covered the pops with plastic wrap so they wouldnt take on any rouge flavors in the freezer. I also covered the first batch when I remembered this. The second batch was labeled with an "I" for Instant and went into the freezer. I had to move some vodka to fit them.

Nestled all cold in their beds!

Once the pops were on their way to chill-land I hung around and took pictures of the cat. The cat did not care about the pudding pops.

Sophie = not caring about pudding pop experiment.

Later in the evening, the rouge party earlier mentioned in this piece declared that a pudding pop must be eaten before bedtime. We found that the first batch was nicely frozen (about 4-5 hrs) and ready to eat.

The peeling of the pop!

The completed "P" pop had some airholes and should have been filled better by myself. The marbling seemed a little muddled, but there were definite layers. The freezing process did definately create large ice crystals and I think this is going to be a key element to creating the correct texture. The taste was good and was a very nice snack. I look forward to trying an "I" pop tomorrow.

Ben

[Jinmyo]

Sophie = not caring about pudding pop experiment.

Ben, although I am as Sophie with regards to pudding pops, the tale was well told.

[Rachel Perlow]

Lovely.

I concur with the advice to freeze with a machine (or at least the freeze in a bowl stirring every 1/2 hour method) until at least softly frozen and then pack into molds. However, I have a feeling that by the time you finish all the pudding pops currently in your freezer you'll be over the craving.. Also, with regard to the premade pudding: you could have just stuck a spoon in their already existing cup!

[TatarsHat]

Triple Chocolate Pudding

Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand

FoodTv

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/8 cups cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups 2 percent milk

4 1/2 cups half and half

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (D811 Callebaut)

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

4 1/2 ounces shaved white chocolate

Whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt together. Gradually whisk in milk, until batter is smooth. Whisk in half and half then pass through chinois into a heavy stainless steel sauce pan. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in bittersweet chocolate and vanilla. Stir over ice bath to cool. Fold in white chocolate and pour into coffee cups.

Yield: 9 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

[snowangel]

We make these all the time in the summer. I use jello instant pudding, and yes, I do put it in the Donvier until it is very cold and thickened before packing it into the nifty tupperware popsicle things I found in my grandmother's basement when we were cleaning out her house. They are nice because the top of each popsicle holder has a tight seal. I also wack them on the counter several times before putting them in the freezer to get out any air bubbles. And, the narrow shape (compared to using dixie cups) is easier for kids to get their mouths around.

You will have less muddying of the two kinds of pudding if you get them nice and cold and close to frozen before you pack them in the popsicle containers.

Only whole milk. It makes a difference. I don't mess around with cooked pudding because they are faster with instant, and somehow, that taste that is present in instant pudding just seems more authentic.

And, I put them in our deep freezer, not the fridge freezer. It is colder, and doesn't get opened nearly as often.

[col klink]

The completed "P" pop had some airholes and should have been filled better by myself.

You may want to pick up some cheap ketchup and mustard dispensers and use them as pastry tubes to better fill the cups. Of course all of this is done before smoking them.

[Sandra Levine]

Don't know about pudding pops, but I love Sophie.

[Schielke]

Lovely.

I concur with the advice to freeze with a machine (or at least the freeze in a bowl stirring every 1/2 hour method) until at least softly frozen and then pack into molds. However, I have a feeling that by the time you finish all the pudding pops currently in your freezer you'll be over the craving.. Also, with regard to the premade pudding: you could have just stuck a spoon in their already existing cup!

Rachel,

Thanks for the tips with the icecream machine. I just might need to pick one up. I plan on feeding alot of them to friends so I wont grow tired of them. Also, I am relentless in my search for pudding pop greatness! Huzzuah!!! I did think about sticking the spoon in the premade cups, but I wanted to be consistent and also have the ability to peel away the cup.

Thanks again!

Ben

[Schielke]

Triple Chocolate Pudding 

Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand

FoodTv

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/8 cups cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups 2 percent milk

4 1/2 cups half and half

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (D811 Callebaut)

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

4 1/2 ounces shaved white chocolate

Whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt together. Gradually whisk in milk, until batter is smooth. Whisk in half and half then pass through chinois into a heavy stainless steel sauce pan. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in bittersweet chocolate and vanilla. Stir over ice bath to cool. Fold in white chocolate and pour into coffee cups.

Yield: 9 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Shady,

Thanks for the recipe! Ill have to think about how I want to convert that to pudding pop greatness! I may strip it down a little for the first attempt and then get fancy later on when I perfect the technique.

Thanks!

Ben

[Schielke]

We make these all the time in the summer.  I use jello instant pudding, and yes, I do put it in the Donvier until it is very cold and thickened before packing it into the nifty tupperware popsicle things I found in my grandmother's basement when we were cleaning out her house.  They are nice because the top of each popsicle holder has a tight seal.  I also wack them on the counter several times before putting them in the freezer to get out any air bubbles.  And, the narrow shape (compared to using dixie cups) is easier for kids to get their mouths around.

You will have less muddying of the two kinds of pudding if you get them nice and cold and close to frozen before you pack them in the popsicle containers.

Only whole milk.  It makes a difference.  I don't mess around with cooked pudding because they are faster with instant, and somehow, that taste that is present in instant pudding just seems more authentic.

And, I put them in our deep freezer, not the fridge freezer.  It is colder, and doesn't get opened nearly as often.

Thanks for your thoughts on the pudding pops! I do need to get some popcicle molds for a more manageable shape. I think my mom might have some.

Also, whole milk is a must next time. The package did not specify so I went middle of the road with 2%.

Ben

[Schielke]

The completed "P" pop had some airholes and should have been filled better by myself.

You may want to pick up some cheap ketchup and mustard dispensers and use them as pastry tubes to better fill the cups. Of course all of this is done before smoking them.

I do need to get some pastry bags anyway so I may just bite the bullet and go for those.

Klink, you better watch it, I am seriously considering making a smoked pudding sausage pop! Of which you will have to eat half while we take pictures.

Ben

[col klink]

I could just as easily make some blood pudding sausage and smoke it. Then all I'd have to do is insert the wooden stick.

Then we could dip 'em in cornmeal batter and fry 'em! We'd have corn pudding dog pops!

[Schielke]

Don't know about pudding pops, but I love Sophie.

Well, in my own self satisfiying interests of keeping you on this thread , here is another sophie pic.

Ben

[col klink]

Thread drift! Thread drift!!! You're usurping your own thread with kitty pictures!

Tsk, tsk. :ashamed:

[Priscilla]

Don't know about pudding pops, but I love Sophie.

Well, in my own self satisfiying interests of keeping you on this thread , here is another sophie pic.

Ben

I love Sophie too. What a pretty girl. How about a full-face pic sometime, when she's not expressing her pudding pop ennui.

[Schielke]

Thread drift! Thread drift!!! You're usurping your own thread with kitty pictures!

Tsk, tsk. :ashamed:

Suck on this Klink! And then suck on it some more!

Vinnie gets some pudding action (no actual pudding was ingested in the making of this photo)

Sophie wants a lick too! (no actual pudding was ingested in the making of this photo)

The cats are now interested in the project!!! A momentous occasion!

Ben

[col klink]

I feel dirty.

[Schielke]

Dirty! The above picture post was not intended to be dirty, but a way of incorporating the kitties into the thread in a kosher manner.

Ben