5th of July Fudgsicles

posted by Beret

On July 4th, it was ridiculously cold and foggy where I live. Too cold and foggy to see fireworks, or even to muster enthusiasm to watch the fog change colors. Instead, we went home and made hot chocolate.

July 5th dawned sunny and warm, and I found myself pouring the extra hot cocoa into a popsicle mold that had been sitting in the dish rack. Honestly, I just didn’t want to deal with the leftovers, because who wants hot cocoa on a warm day? A few hours in the freezer and voilà: I had accidentally made fudgsicles! Simple and tasty. In fact, waaaaay better than store-bought ones.

Here’s what you need: ten minutes and…

Hot Chocolate/Fudgsicle Recipe:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup boiling water

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup half and half

(original hot cocoa recipe was from allrecipes.com, but I have adapted it)

Procedure:

1. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan.

2. Blend in the boiling water, and bring the mixture to a slow boil while you stir.  Be careful not to scorch. Burnt chocolate tastes just awful.

4. Stir in 1 3/4 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Milk gets funky if you let it boil.

5. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and half and half.

6. Allow to cool somewhat and pour into popsicle molds. Freeze until firm. Makes about 8 fudgsicles, or 6 pops and one cup of cocoa for the cook.

7. Enjoy!