Until last Wednesday, I had no plans to create a new Fudgsicle recipe. I have some vegan Raspberry Fudgsicles in my Recipe Index that are kind of a salad masquerading as dessert—they’re made with avocado, dates, and fresh raspberries. They’re super delicious, so it makes sense that my boss had requested them (sans berries) on that hot, miserable day.I trekked over to Trader Joe’s to buy the day’s groceries. It was only when I was turning onto the block where I work that I realized I hadn’t bought anything for Fudgsicles. I had been a bit distracted when my boss had requested them, and had forgotten to put the ingredients on my list. It was getting late and I needed to get started on dinner, so instead of going back to TJ’s, I determined that I’d figure out how to make Fudgsicles from things they had on-hand.Once I got dinner on, I started to look through the cabinets for ingredients. It went something like this:

• I knew I had most of a container of cocoa powder tucked into the back of the pantry—it only ever gets used for WHAM Cakes—so the chocolate part was covered.
• I found a can of coconut milk leftover from making coconut rice. That would work for creaminess.
• I decided to add the dregs of a jar of coconut oil for richness and to mitigate any iciness from the water in the coconut milk. Fudgsicles are always a little soft (because otherwise they’d just be chocolate popsicles), so a lack of large ice crystals is pretty important.
• For sweetener, I used maple syrup. Honey would have worked too, but they were fresh out.
• Vanilla extract went into the mix because when it comes to desserts, it’s almost always a good idea.

I put all the ingredients in the blender, said a little prayer to Julia Child, and blitzed everything together until it was smooth. I divided the mixture among a set of ice pop molds and put them in the freezer.Before the Fudgsicles were completely frozen, it was time for me to go home. As you probably could have guessed, I spent the next 18 or so hours wondering if they were any good compared to my old favorites. Imagine how delighted I was when I got to work the next day to see that the family had already eaten most of them!Luckily, there was one left for me to try. It was deeply chocolaty, perfectly sweet, and soft enough that I could bite through it—so basically, exactly what I was going for. I love that a recipe that began as a guessing game worked on the first try. That rarely happens, so I’m calling it a victory.
I’ve made three more batches of these Fudgsicles since last week—two for work and one for me. I love how quick and easy they are and that they’re made from the sort of ingredients I always have on hand. And that’s to say nothing of the fact that they’re vegan and fairly low-calorie for an end of the day treat. I don’t follow any sort of diet, but it’s nice to make something on the lighter side every once in a while.Spend five minutes making a batch of Fudgsicles this weekend! I hope you love them as much as I do.

Five Ingredient Fudgsicles
makes about 6 fudgsicles

1 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil (preferably refined), melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Blend until no lumps remain, scraping down sides as necessary. Divide mixture among ice pop molds. Do not add sticks.

Freeze one hour. Insert sticks. Freeze at least 5 more hours before enjoying.

To release from ice pop molds, place mold in a glass of warm tap water for 30-45 seconds. Fudgsicles should release easily. If they don’t, place them back in the warm water for 15 seconds before making another attempt.