Apparatus for removing a hand held food product from a baking mold

An apparatus for producing an edible, hand held food product having a configuration that may be used as a container for ice cream and other frozen confections, said container configuration having an outer surface and a spaced inner surface, said apparatus comprising:

• a mold for baking said food product, said mold including a female portion and a male portion for insertion into said female portion to define a cavity therebetween conforming to the desired container configuration, said male portion being selectively moveable into and out of said female portion;
• a vacuum removal plug selectively insertable into said female portion for removing said baked food product, said removal plug having an exterior surface with an exterior surface portion having a configuration corresponding substantially to a portion of the inner surface of said container configuration and including a plurality of vacuum ports opening to said exterior surface;
• vacuum means for selectively creating a vacuum within said vacuum ports to facilitate removal of said baked food product from said female portion;
• and
• a cooling conveyor having at least one cooling basket for receiving said baked food product, said cooling basket having an interior configuration corresponding substantially to at least a portion of the outer surface of said container and having a plurality of cooling openings.