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Ice Cream on a Stick: Homemade Fudgsicles

Posted by Lucy Baker, May 22, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Growing up, Fudgsicles were always my favorite ice cream truck treat. Sure, Rocket Pops were fun because they dyed your tongue blue, and Creamsicles were cool because they were almost like two desserts in one, but nothing was quite as deliciously drippy as a frozen chocolate pop. I loved peeling off the wax-paper wrapper and taking that first lick, the way the Fudgsicle dissolved from ice to cream in my mouth. Long after I was finished, I would chew the stick like a giant toothpick, hoping for just one more taste.

Recently, I got to thinking: How hard could it be to make my own fudge pops?

The first thing I needed, obviously, was an ice-pop mold. After surfing through various culinary and kitchenware websites, I settled on these Cuisipro Rocket Pop Molds, which, at $14.95, were twice as expensive as some of the other versions. I splurged because they seemed like the sturdiest option—the cheap ones were made entirely of plastic and had flimsy-looking stands. My molds arrived in the mail two days later, along with a detailed instruction booklet and a generous handful of wooden popsicle sticks.

Next was a recipe. Most of the ones I turned up online used some combination of instant pudding and milk. While they sounded yummy enough (particularly the ones involving mashed bananas), I was set on making mine entirely from scratch. Finally, I settled on the richest, most indulgent version I could find—Alton Brown's Good Eats Fudge Pops. The recipe called for eight ounces of bittersweet chocolate and a cup and a half of heavy cream. In the words of my favorite Food Network star, Ina Garten, "How bad could that be?"

My homemade fudge pops were a giant success. Creamier than any store-bought variety, they tasted like a frozen version of the incredibly dense hot chocolate served at places like City Bakery and Jacques Torres. At first it was difficult to remove the pops from the molds, but I found that after blasting them under a hot faucet for ten seconds they slid right out.

I’ve gobbled down all but one, and as soon as I'm finished with this batch, I'll be whipping up another frozen ice cream treat. Stay tuned—and let us know at Serious Eats if you have any favorite ice pop recipes.

Homemade Fudgepops

- makes 6 pops -
Adapted from Alton Brown’s Good Eats.

Ingredients

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
8 ounces (1 cup) whole milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Special Equipment: popsicle molds

Procedure

1. Place chopped chocolate into a medium glass mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine heavy cream, milk, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until cocoa is dissolved and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes and then whisk gently until all chocolate is melted. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

3. Divide the mixture evenly among the molds and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until solid. Fudgepops can be held in the freezer for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

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Tags: chocolate, desserts, frozen treats, fudge pops, ice cream, ice pops