Fool 'Em: Homemade Fudgesicles

Vegan Fudgesicles with just four ingredients. I went there. 

Let me begin by saying it was 102 degrees outside today. All the drapes are shut tight and the A/C is running hard, just to keep it 80 degrees in the house. These are the kinds of summer days that make me happy to have a day job—one that keeps me in a cool office building during the most grueling months.

One of my summer goals was to make popsicles, and I've pretty much mastered the peach and tequila pops. (They're delicious on their own, of course, but I like to put one in a glass and pour a Topo Chico on top for a refreshing beverage. Oh yes, you should go there.)

Recently, though, I made something marvelous. Something that I will turn to time and time again, especially when there are kids around with discriminating palates. Something that could fool even the most critical of ice cream tasters. Something that I consider part of my dinner salad because it's mostly made up of vegetable.

Homemade vegan fudgesicles. Four ingredients—and they come together in mere minutes.

Yeah.

Of the four ingredients, two are so unlikely that you may scratch your head at first and wonder what kind of a path I've led you down: avocados (heart-healthy fat!) and coconut milk (Ayurvedic properties!). The other two ingredients—cocoa and sugar—hardly turn this into a too-sweet, bad-for-you dessert.

Canned coconut milk can be found in the Indian or Asian area of most grocery stores; I used organic light coconut milk from Whole Foods in this recipe which has even less fat and calories than the regular stuff, which makes me feel a little better.

Missing a popsicle mold? Serve this as a cool mousse-like dessert.

Homemade Vegan Fudgesicles
makes 10 average (two-ounce) popsicles

2 large perfectly ripe Haas avocados
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Cut open the avocados, remove the pits, and put the fruit in a blender. Add the sugar and cocoa powder, and pour in the coconut milk. Puree until extremely smooth; the batter should be thick but pourable. Taste it and add a little more sugar if needed. Pour into popsicle mold and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.

Homemade Popsicles for Memorial Day

Summertime means homemade popsicles!

Happy Memorial Day! The unofficial start to summer is officially upon us, and what better way to show some gratitude than to make homemade popsicles with homegrown fruit?

We're already knee-deep in stone fruit season here in Texas, so I had a bowl of tiny peaches from my mom's tree languishing on the counter. The fruits were just beginning to shrivel, and I knew that was a sign that they needed to be used right away.

Funny enough, I also learned yesterday by way of Splendid Table that shriveled stone fruits and tomatoes (before they are at the rotting stage) actually boast concentrated sugars—and therefore, concentrated flavors. So what I thought was a bowl of peaches about to go bad on my kitchen counter was actually a bowl of peaches at the peak moment to be adapted into a new recipe.

After a little Googling and recipe searching, I came up with the idea to make peach and tequila popsicles. There's not enough booze in these to really set you off (only about one shot divided between 10 popsicles), but it imparts just enough flavor to make these an adults-only treat. It also keeps the pops from freezing too hard, meaning they have a wonderful texture and are prime for enjoying on the picnic table outside. The super-sweet peaches really stand out. These taste like summer ought to.

I added a 1/2 cup grapefruit Italian soda, which added a nice bit of tang—but is not totally necessary. Feel free to sub with another Italian soda of your choice or simply more orange juice. Pineapple juice might also be a good substitute here.

Peach & Tequila Popsicles
Makes 8 pops

Very ripe peaches: enough to equal about 1 cup, after peeling and removing the pits
5 tablespoons organic cane sugar
1/8 cup tequila (or one shot)
1 cup pulp-free orange juice
1/2 cup grapefruit Italian soda or 1/2 cup more orange juice

Peel the peaches and remove the pits. Place in a medium bowl and mash together with the sugar to create a simple puree (no need to use the blender; a few small chunks of fresh peaches add to the awesomeness of these popsicles). Add the other ingredients and mix well. Carefully pour into your popsicle molds and put in the freezer for about two hours. Then slide in the popsicle sticks, and freeze for at least 8 more hours before serving.