With the early May opening of Wild Pops in Jamaica Plain, there’s at least one reason to relish the sweltering heat. Shira Gold churns out small-batch gourmet ice-pops—including a mango coconut sticky rice flavor—which are a delicious air-conditioned blast to the taste buds. This play on the classic Thai dessert is made with mango and coconut milk plus an unexpected surprise: rice. “There’s a sweet and salty coconut sauce that we soak the rice in, and we also mix that with the fresh mango,” Gold says. The rice is cooked, steeped in the tropical mixture and then immediately frozen, adding a gummy textural bounce to a sweet concert of flavors. 

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Mango coconut sticky rice pop, $4 at Wild Pops, 3213 Washington St., Boston (617-775-5005) wildpopsusa.com