Sweet and Creamy Mango Chili Paletas by Meseidy

I never heard of the magic of mango and chili powder until I moved to Texas. To be completely honest, I thought it was nuts! Why ruin a delicious mango with spicy chili power? You need to understand that I love mangos, not only because they taste amazing but also because there’s a bit of nostalgia attached to them.

 
 

When I was in high school, there was a large mango tree in the parking lot of our school. When the mangos were ripe, my friends and I would toss our backpacks onto the tree to knock down mangos. We had a whole system: one person would toss and catch the backpack and two would catch the mangos with our uniform shirts or skirts. If we were lucky, we would happen upon mangos on the ground that were still good, but because it was a parking lot, they were mostly mush from being run over. We would then take them to the gazebo and spend our lunch hour making a mess gnawing on sweet mangos. 

 
 

As I mentioned before, it wasn’t until I moved to Texas that I first heard of sprinkling mango with chili powder. I thought it was such a crazy idea! Then I tasted it, and I thought it was crazy genius.

Sprinkling fruits like mango, jicama, and melon with spicy chili powder is a staple in Mexico. If you want to enjoy the true awesomeness, try mango and Tajín. Tajín is a fruit seasoning condiment made mostly of chili peppers, lime, and salt. You can find it at any Latin grocery store and sometimes in the Latin food section of your local grocery. Mango is delicious but mango and Tajín is magic.

 
 

Summer’s heat is still upon us, so I thought this would be a great time to make some mango-chili-inspired popsicles. But I also wanted it to be a little sweet and very creamy. So I decided to puree the mango and add just a bit of sweetened condensed milk.

These are amazingly delicious! And if you need more chili action, just give your popsicle a sprinkle. 

 
 

These are a real treat! To store the popsicles, wrap them individually with parchment paper and place in a resealable plastic bag. Then you’ll always ready when it gets too hot or you get hit with a craving for something sweet and a little spicy.