Paletas: Pay de Limón
I'm getting more and more impatient for winter to finally end. This snow is making me yearn for summer weather! I want to be in sunny paradise, surrounded by scantily-clad beach goers, drinking a lime margarita. What is it about a lime margarita that reminds me of sunny summer days? It’s not like I restrict myself to only drinking margaritas in the summer. Momma sure does love an ice cold refreshing margarita in the dead of winter. Momma (I’m momma, by the way) also loves anything sweet, boozy, and lime-y at all times of the year.
To indulge in my longing for summer days, I’m going to share this easy (it’s kind of ridiculously easy) recipe for "pay de limon" paletas. This is inspired by a dessert that my mom used to make for us as kids, pie de limón frío. It's like a key lime pie icebox cake. What makes them special is that you use Maria's cookies, which are a very popular cookie in Latin culture. They're very similar to a tea biscuit, but they have an extra cool name ;) It’s also only five ingredients!
Paletas de Pay de Limon
Makes 10-12
Ingredients
1 can of evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime (or regular limes) juice (freshly squeezed)
30 Marias cookies
1 tbs Lime zest
2 tbs sugar (or 1 tbs Corn Syrup)
Special Equipment:
Popsicle mold or small dixie cups
Popsicle sticks
Directions
In a blender, add the evaporated and condensed milk until thoroughly mixed. While the mixture is blending, slowly add the lime juice
Place the Maria cookies in a large ziploc bag, and with a rolling pin, or other heavy object, break them apart into small pieces. About 1/2 in pieces, and set aside. Pour the lime-milk mixture into a mixing bowl, and fold in the lime zest and sugar until well mixed. Cover the bowl and place in the freezer for an hour, gently mixing about every 15 minutes. Pour 1 tablespoon of the lime-milk mixture in each mold, then a few of the crushed cookie pieces over the mixture. Pour another tablespoon of the lime-milk mixture and continue alternating between the cookies and lime-milk until finished.
The mixture should be thick enough that when you insert your popsicle sticks they will stand up. If they don't, simply freeze for 30-1 hr and then insert the sticks.
Freeze overnight.
Tips:
1. To reduce the formation of large ice crystals use corn syrup instead of sugar, and/or add a pinch of Xantham Gum to your sugar before adding to the milk-lime mixture, and don't skip the mixing part while the lime-milk is in the freezer.
2. Place your lime-milk mixture in a ziploc bag to pour into molds.
3. To remove from the molds, briefly run under hot water making sure not to get any water in the paletas.
