Recipe: How to Make Creamy and Chewy Brown Sugar Boba Popsicle
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Gluten Free and Vegan Friendly! Make this at home today!
Have you tried Brown Sugar Boba Popsicles? They are one of my favorite treats!
Brown sugar boba popsicles initially started off as an insanely delicious drink called Tiger Milk Tea because of it’s brown sugar stripes. But shortly after, a Taiwanese company turned my favorite boba drink into a popsicle! Unfortunately, it came with a hefty price tag. Despite my love for all things boba, I simply couldn’t justify shelling out $10 for a box of 4 popsicles. So, I came up with my own. And to be honest, I much prefer my recipe. I found the store-bought ones icy, certainly less creamy than mine plus, there wasn’t that chemical aftertaste!
If you’re a huge boba lover like I am, be sure to check out this recipe for a deliciously decadent boba tea that tastes like cheesecake in drink form!
While the boba found in bubble boba tea is normally made with tapioca flour, it’s important to note that the boba used to make popsicles are made with glutinous rice flour instead. Boba made with tapioca will lose it’s chewiness as soon as it cools – hence why boba is often kept warm until it is served. Glutinous rice however, prevents your boba pearls from freezing into rock hard balls. Once slightly thawed, these boba pearls will be chewy and bouncy. I do recommend that you thaw these popsicles slightly before biting into them. Like all popsicles, they can be on the harder side. Though, I’ll be honest, I never wait for them to thaw. Instead, I’ll bite off a corner piece and allow the boba pearls to warm up in my mouth. I honestly have my boba popsicle biting strategy down to a science!
BROWN SUGAR BOBA POPSICLES
Makes 8 popsicles
Vegan Recipe. (Dairy adaptations in recipe)
- 3/4 cupglutinous rice powder (I used this)
- 1/4 cupblack sugar (I used this) but in a pinch, dark brown sugar may be used
- 3/4 cuphot water
- 3/4 cupblack sugar syrup (I used this)
- 1/4 cupor more cornstarch for dusting dough
- 2 cupcoconut cream or heavy cream
- 1/2 cupsweetened condensed coconut milk or regular condensed milk
- 1/2 cupblack sugar syrup (I used this)
INSTRUCTIONS
To prepare the Boba Peals and Brown Sugar Syrup:
- Add glutinous rice powder, brown sugar and water into a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix to combine until a soft dough forms.
- Transfer dough onto a flat work surface generously dusted with cornstarch. Note: Dough will be hot and sticky. Using two pastry scrapers, flip and fold dough into the cornstarch until dough is cool enough to touch. Then using your hands, gently knead dough until it is no longer sticky. Form dough into a ball.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Then using a pastry cutter, slice dough into 1/2 inch strips and then cross-wise into 1/2 inch cubes. If the shape of the boba pearls aren’t important to you, you may leave them as 1/2″ by 1/2″ cubes. Alternatively, you may roll each cube into a ball. It should be noted that the process of rolling is extremely tedious.
- Generously dust a tray with cornstarch and place dough cubes / balls on the tray. Add more cornstarch as required to prevent sticking.
- Transfer the uncooked boba pearls into a large sieve. Shake sieve back and forth to remove any access cornstarch and set aside.
- Add the black sugar syrup to a bowl and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefully add the uncooked pearls to the water and immediately stir with a wooden spoon to prevent the boba pearls from sticking. Continue stirring until the pearls float to the surface, approximately 4-5 minutes. Drain boba pearls and immediately add them to the black sugar syrup. Stir well and set aside.
To form the popsicles:
- Insert popsicle sticks into the popsicle molds.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of boba pearls to the bottom of each popsicle mold and set aside.
- In a container (preferably with a spout), add the coconut cream (if vegan) or heavy cream, condensed milk and the remaining boba pearls and syrup. Stir to mix well.
- Pour the cream mixture into the popsicle molds, filling each about 2/3 full. Then using a small ladle, scoop out some boba pearls and add it to each mold.
- Place the popsicle molds in the freezer and freeze for about 4-5 hours or until solid. Remove the popsicles. Depending on your mold, you may have to run the mold under water to unmold the popsicles. I used to do that until I found these magnum-style molds. I absolutely love them as the popsicles pop right out perfectly every time!
- Allow popsicles to thaw slightly before serving. As the boba pearls thaw, they will soften and become chewy. Enjoy!
