Homemade Fudge Pops
By Addie
When my Chief Culinary Consultant and I got down to Florida a couple of weeks ago, we quickly found out that his dad had been enjoying fudge pops. There was a constant stream of the health-food variety in the freezer. I had packed up a stack of cookbooks that I’d been meaning to read, figuring that I could go through them leisurely while we were relaxing. I got to On a Stick! (which is awesome – I think I bookmarked at least 60% of the book!) and discovered a recipe for homemade fudge pops. Score! Perfect timing. I set out to get the popsicle molds I had been meaning to buy for the summer and whipped these bad boys up.
They couldn’t have been easier to make and tasted incredible. While I’ve found most store-bought versions to taste like little more than chocolate-flavored ice milk, these are the polar opposite. They are rich, decadent, and bursting with chocolate flavor. You actually feel like you’re eating frozen fudge. That is the purpose of a fudge pop, right?! The recipe calls for semisweet chocolate, but you could definitely use milk or dark, based on your personal tastes. Whole, natural ingredients always trump chemicals for me. These are definitely going to be a summer staple in my freezer!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 wooden popsicle sticks
Preparation
Step 1
1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.
2. Combine the melted chocolate, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and butter, and stir until well combined.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly (it should still be warm but not hot to the touch), and then pour into 8 popsicle molds. Freeze for 30 minutes, and then insert sticks. Freeze completely before serving.
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REVIEW:
As a grandparent of 6, I have made a big hit with freezer pops made with these molds. I bought 3 of them, because the recipe I use is a Jello-pop recipe which uses matching flavors of Jello and CoolAde and makes 15 pops. With 3 molds, I can make 2 different flavors at once! I have used other molds, but don't like tracking the plastic handles after the pop is finished! The trick with this mold is to freeze the pops for exactly 1 1/2 hours before inserting the sticks. If you insert them earlier they "float" sideways and when frozen, you can't get the lid off. The grandkids put in their order before their visit, so that I will have the preferred flavors when they arrive. We have pictures of the "Granny-pop salute" in which all kids with Granny-pops hold up their pops at the same time. Don't worry, if your grandchildren call you something else besides "Granny", you can adapt the name to "Na-Na Pops", "Gee-Gee Pops" or whatever! BIG hit! Do you want the recipe?
1 pkg KoolAde and 1 pkg Jello (matching or compatible flavors), 1 cup sugar, 2 cups boiling water (stir until dissolved), 2 cups cold water. Pour into molds, freeze for 1 1/2 hrs, then insert the sticks and freeze 5 or more hours. Unmold by removing the lid and running under hot water briefly until they can be removed. Bag with Baggies and a twist-tie. Now you have a freezer-shelf full of treats.