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1
Preheat the oven to 325F.
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2
Place the coconut on a towel with the eyes facing up.
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3
Pierce each eye with a screwdriver or ice pick, then empty out the coconut water.
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4
(Strain it and reserve for another use, or enjoy it on its own as a cold beverage.)
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5
Get out as much liquid as possible by turning the coconut upside down and shaking it.
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6
Put the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until it begins to crack, 30 to 40 minutes.
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7
Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
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8
Put the coconut on a towel and use the bottom (nonsharp) edge of a knife or a hammer to tap it all around and help you crack it open.
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9
Remove the outer brown shell with your hands, then use a paring knife to remove the thin brown skin.
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10
Cut the cleaned coconut into pieces and shred it using a hand grater or food processor.
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11
If youd like ribbons of coconut inside the paletas, use a vegetable peeler to cut a few thin strips of the roasted coconut before shredding it.
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12
Place the strips in a bowl and toss with the salt.
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13
Working in batches, blend the coconut with the hot water until as smooth as possible, then strain through a colander or sieve lined with cheesecloth.
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14
Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract as much juice as possible, and discard any leftover coconut.
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15
Put the strained liquid in a large saucepan, then stir in the milk, sugar, and cinnamon, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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16
Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
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17
Keeping in mind that the sweetness will diminish as the mixture cools off, taste and add more sugar if you like.
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18
Let cool to room temperature, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
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19
Stir in the rum.
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20
If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds, snap on the lid, and freeze until solid, about 5 hours.
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21
(If you created ribbons of coconut, add them to the molds before adding the liquid.)
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22
If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (1 1/2 to 2 hours), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours.
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23
If using an instant ice pop maker, follow the manufacturers instructions.
