Vanilla Plum Swirl Pudding Pops

Ice cold pops are always a good sign on a hot summer day. Tasty and refreshing, these are easy to make, even for a newcomer like me. I went out a bought some ice pop molds at my local grocery store and proceeded to create wonderful swirls on the stove top.

Vanilla Plum Swirl Pudding Pops
Shopping List: granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla bean, milk, brandy, eggs, salt, plums, and lemon juice.

To make the pudding, give the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla bean a quick whisk in a saucepan. Pour in the milk (omit the brandy if you're going alcohol-free) and cook over medium heat. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture starts to steam.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and salt together. Slowly pour in half of the hot milk mixture and whisk constantly. You don't want to cook the eggs too quickly, if you do, you'll end up with scrambled eggs! Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking over medium heat until it starts to get bubbly and thick. Strain through a sieve into a container, place plastic wrap on the surface, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To make the plum swirl, bring the plums, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer and stir until the plus are broken down. It should resemble the consistency of jam. Strain through a sieve into a container, stir in lemon juice, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

If any of the pudding or plum instructions are holding you back, don't worry. Watch the step-by-step video here.

Here comes the fun part! Spoon the pudding into the tip of the molds, then alternate with the plum mixture. Make sure you start and end with the pudding.

Freeze until firm for about five hours. Take them out at the hottest time of day (or any time of day) and enjoy!

We loved how the vanilla pudding was a smooth and delicious base. We'd try this again with plum or another summer fruit, it would pair well with almost anything!

Share your Vanilla Plum Swirl Pudding Pops pics with @canadianliving on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #CLIMadeIt.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.

No-Bake Mini Cheesecake Blossoms

Beauty! These no-bake mini cheesecake blossoms were so fun to make, mainly because I love desserts that feature some kind of floral decoration. What can I say? I love it when I get flowers!

Now, I've made my fair amount of cheesecakes before, and always found it agonizing when you place it in the oven and cross your fingers that it bakes evenly. Nobody wants cracks to show up on the surface of a perfectly smooth cheesecake. And there's the bain marie (or water bath) that you have to deal with. So if you're on the lookout for a no-bake recipe, this is one to try.

No-Bake Mini Cheesecake Blossoms
Shopping List: cream cheese, sweetened condense milk, icing sugar, vanilla extract, unflavoured gelatin, chocolate sandwich cookies, and fruit.

Let the cream cheese rest in room temperature for about an hour or so. Letting it soften up helps the mixing process a lot!

This is pretty simple and having a stand mixer makes it even easier. You throw in the cream cheese, sweetened condense milk, icing sugar, and vanilla extract and beat it until it's smooth.

In a small bowl, you mix the gelatin with boiling water and stir until it dissolves. Then add the gelatin into the cream cheese mixture.

Fill a piping bag with the batter and pipe cream cheese to cover the bottom of the mini cupcake liners or mini dessert jars. A good friend of ours bought me a set of mini dessert jars for my birthday and I was pretty excited to use them. The glasses are about two inches tall and I was able to fill nine of them. The recipe yields about 24 for mini cupcake liners.

Place one cookie (I used regular sized chocolate sandwich cookies, but use the mini versions if you're going with mini cupcake liners) in each and press it down so that some of the batter comes up on the sides. Pipe on the remaining cheesecake batter to cover the cookies.

Refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.

I'm deviating a bit here, so if you're up for mango blossoms, read on. If you want other blossom ideas, watch this video to see how easy it is to decorate your cheesecakes with fruit.

Remove the skin from the ripe mango and slice all four sides around the mango seed. Next, lay the pieces down thinly slice them so you have many semi-circle pieces. Picking the right mango is crucial as you don't want one that is too firm because it won't bend and might break, and you don't want one that is too ripe for it'll become mushy if you try to curve it.

To create the blossom, take one of the shorter slices of mango and curl it up to form the middle of the bud. Place it in the middle of the cheesecake. Then, take medium slices and wrap it around. You want the curve side facing up and the straight edge on the cheesecake. Keep surrounding the middle piece with mango slices until you reach the edge of your bowl or cupcake liner.

You can probably work the opposite way and go outside in if that's easier. You also don't have to place the bud in the middle! Even if you start on the side, just keeping adding mango slices for a lovely layered look.

You can garnish your cheesecakes with whatever you like, maybe you know some chocolate fans, add some chocolate crisps or chop up your favourite candy. Drizzle on caramel sauce. Add dollops of jam and cream. But guys? Blossoms are pretty and impressive. ;)

Share your no-bake mini cheesecake blossom snapshots with @canadianliving on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #CLIMadeIt.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.

Canoe Paddle Doughnuts

I am so excited to share this with you! Have you ever tried BeaverTails pastries before? I remember trying my first one during a family ski trip. We were ready for a break after the slopes and went looking for a snack. Right beside the sky lodge was a little cabin selling cinnamon sugar beaver tails. Ever since, I've been on a lookout for these cabins. They're not easily accessible to the because they're usually found in attractions like the zoo, Canada's Wonderland, CNE, or in cottage country. So having one is an extra treat, but now . . . I can make them at home! These Canoe Paddle Doughnuts from Canadian Living are so comparable that I don't think I would be able to tell the difference.

Canoe Paddle Doughnuts
Shopping List: granulated sugar, milk, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, cinnamon, butter, and lemons.

I poured the milk into a small saucepan and warmed it up on medium heat. When I could start feeling heat radiating off the top, I added the 1 tablespoon of sugar and stirred to dissolve. At this point, turn the stove off. You do not want your milk to start simmer, boil, or burn! Just warm enough to dissolve the sugar and help the yeast activate.

Transfer the milk and sugar mixture to a large bowl.

Add in the active dry yeast. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. It'll start to get frothy and look like pancake batter that's almost ready to flip in your frying pan.

While you're waiting, in another bowl, whisk together 2-1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, and salt to remove any lumps.

Whisk eggs, oil, and remaining sugar into the yeast mixture.

Using wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the flour mixture until it's combined. Avoid any overly dry dough, it should be sticky all around.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free place until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours. Look at the rise on this dough! I tagged the progress using hot pink post-it notes.

After this point, you can continue on or store the bowl in the fridge for later use. I made mine over two nights. If you did keep the dough in the fridge, let it sit in room temperature for half an hour before you start working on it.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining 1/4 cup of flour until dough comes together. You'll need to work on the feel of the dough here. It should still be sticky, so you might not need all of the remaining flour.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape them into flat ovals with your hands. Place on a lightly floured surface, cover with tea towel, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Gently stretch out the dough to as thin as you can. The recommended thickness is 1/8-inch (3 mm). It's almost like making mini pizza dough!

If you're hesitant about deep frying or haven't done it before, I would recommend that you watch the how-to video. I don't have a lot of deep frying experience, but I went with a deep saucepan instead of a wok or deep fryer (don't own that appliance our of fear that all I would do is deep fry my food) and bought a deep fry thermometer (also a candy thermometer).

Pour enough oil to come about 2 inches (5 cm) up the sides and heat until deep-fryer thermometer registers at 375ºF (190ºC). Deep fry the canoe paddle doughnuts. Use tongs, they're super helpful here. I gently pressed down on the dough to make sure that it was frying evenly. And you'll need the tongs to help you turn the dough. Fry each side for 30 seconds.

When cooked, transfer the doughnuts to a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet to soak up the excess oil.

To make the cinnamon sugar topping, just whisk the sugar and cinnamon together on a large shallow dish or plate.

Brush one side of the doughnut with butter and place the buttered side down into the cinnamon sugar mixture. You'll need to turn it over and sprinkle cinnamon sugar to cover completely.

Serve with lemon wedges. Lemons are crucial. Yes, the canoe paddle doughnuts are good without them, but they're even better with a squeeze of lemon. This helps cut the sweetness and ensure that you can eat more than one. Because no one just has one doughnut!

Have some fun with your doughnuts! You're not limited to a cinnamon sugar topping. We spread Nutella and peanut butter on ours and topped them with bananas. You can add chocolate chips and your favourite bite-sized candies. And might we suggest savoury ones? Brie, nuts, honey, apples, and strawberries!

If you happen to have extra dough, store them with parchment paper separating each piece and keep refrigerated. I have a hunch they would freeze well, but I haven't tested it yet!

Share your Canoe Paddle Doughnut pics with @canadianliving on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #CLIMadeIt.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.

S'more Ice Cream Sandwiches

Time to think of summer, we've been having some wonky weather here in Toronto, but it's bound to remain sunny and warm soon. And when it does, it's time to bring out the cool treats!

Always be prepared when you're trying a new recipe. Decide what kind of ice cream sandwich you're going to make. Read through the instructions, I've taken photos each step of the way, and if you're going for that gold star, watch this video featuring Canadian Living Test Kitchen Specialist Irene Fong.

I decided on the s'more ice cream sandwiches because they remind me of fun camping trips and hilarious visits to the cottage with friends. There's something mesmerizing about roasting a marshmallow over a fire pit. Before it catches on fire and creates a torch, you squish it between graham crackers and chocolate. Yum! There's no camping or cottage trips on the horizon, but our new home does have a fire pit. So who knows? Maybe we'll relive those good times this summer.

S'more Ice Cream Sandwiches
Shopping List: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and vanilla ice cream.

First, we have to make the chocolate sandwich cookies. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. It should resemble a coarse buttercream frosting.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add in the vanilla extract. This makes the batter nice and smooth.

Gather all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. This will help mix everything together and get rid of any lumps.

Mix into the butter mixture until combined. Scrape the sides of your bowl as needed. Be careful not to over mix. You can do this part with a spatula if you want.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).

Scoop one tablespoon of batter and place two inches (five centimetres) apart onto baking sheets (line with silicone mat or parchment paper). The batter spreads quite a bit while baking, so make sure you stick to one tablespoon or less. Unless you want gigantic ice cream sandwiches - then who am I to judge?

Bake until sides are just firm to the touch, about eleven minutes. They'll be soft, but you do want them a little bit under baked because they'll be softer and chewier. Let the cookies cool for ten minutes.

Transfer to racks and let the cookies cool completely. If you make these ahead of time, layer waxed paper between the cookies in airtight container and store at room temperature for up to five days.

To prepare the s'more, halve the mini marshmallows. Howard laughed at me for making something mini even smaller! But it's all about having the right proportions.

I used a blender to grind the graham crackers instead of chopping them.

Just a few pulses and it was a nice graham crumb.

In a bowl, combine the chocolate chips, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows.

Scoop about 1/4-1/3 cup of ice cream onto the bottom of a cookie. Top with a second cookie and gently press to adhere. You want the ice cream to almost reach the edge of the cookies. Dip the ice cream edge in the bowl, making sure that the chocolate chips, graham crackers, and marshmallows stick. Wrap with a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze until ice cream hardens, about 1 hour.

If you're like me, sometimes you need instant gratification. I tried the s'more ice cream sandwich right after I assembled it (no freezer time) and enjoyed the gooey, melty mess!

If you're looking for more ice cream sandwich ideas, visit the Test Kitchen Blog over at Canadian Living to see what other bloggers made! Strawberry White Chocolate Sprinkle or Chocolate Toffee and Nuts anyone? You really can't go wrong. Maybe even try mixing the toppings into the ice cream before you sandwich it!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.