What to Know about Frozen Mexican Desserts

by Christine Szalay-Kudra

If you have ever been to Mexico, you know the climate is hot and tropical. The Mexican people have developed some wonderful frozen desserts to keep them cool. These frozen desserts are sold along the streets in a similar fashion to ice cream trucks in the United States. Once you stop to buy, one the hard part is making a decision!

If you like popsicles, you will love paletas. In Spanish, their name means "little shovels." They may look like normal popsicles but they taste very different from what we may have eaten as kids. Paletas commonly come in flavors like chili, cucumber, sour fruit and milk mixed with fruit. Paletas are healthy snacks that are low in fat. Try some... it does not matter if you like them creamy or icy, you are sure to find one you like.

Mexico loves its ice cream. Popular vanilla ice cream can be topped with cajeta, which is a sweetened caramelized milk. To make cajeta, sweetened milk is slowly cooked down until it forms a thick syrup. This syrup can also be made with juice or goat's milk. You may find it called dulce de leche, crema de cajeta or leche quemada.

Fried ice cream is a wonderful treat from Mexico. They freeze ice cream balls until they are very solid. The ice cream is then rolled in a coating like corn flakes or cookie crumbs before being deep fried briefly at a low temperature. The fried ice cream may be topped with cinnamon, honey or whipped cream. Fried ice cream is delightful due to the contrast between the hot crispy crust and the cold creamy ice cream. Try it at a local Mexican restaurant if you can and then try to make it at home!

Tocumbo ice cream is highly sought after. In this town, they make ice cream out of anything! Corn, avocado, tequila, peanut butter, horchata, pickled fruit, and pine nuts are all fair game. Tocumbo ice cream is sold throughout Mexico in more than 10,000 stores.

Snow cones, or raspados, are treats that are sold all year round in Mexico. They are very popular with kids. Snow cones are made from shaved ice covered in colored syrup that comes in many different flavors. Sorbets are rather new to Mexico, but like other introduced foods have become a part of Mexican cuisine. Savory sorbets contain more water and are often made with herbs. They are used s palate fresheners. Sweeter sorbets are thicker and have more intense flavors.

Just like other Mexican food, frozen desserts can be made at home in your own kitchen. They are delicious, refreshing, and perfect for cooling you down on a hot summer day. Select a few recipes and see what your family likes. If they are like most people, they will love trying new frozen desserts.

You can also find many frozen Mexican desserts at Hispanic or Latino markets. This is a great way to try something before you make it to see if you like how it tastes. Once you find what you like, get a recipe and make it yourself!

About The Author:

Some of the best Cinco de Mayo recipes feature Mexican desserts and are aimed towards people with a sweet tooth. Ingredients like vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon are popular when it comes to Mexican recipes and desserts fresh fruit is always well loved. If these ingredients sound good to you, you are going to love making Mexican dessert recipes.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food