The jingle of the ice cream truck would bring me and all of my friends running when we were kids playing in the park after school. They always had something new and exciting that looked good, and some kids would go for that. I liked the new and exciting things, too, but often stuck with a few treats that were my favorites and twin pops were one. Twin pops are frozen treats that look like two popsicles stuck together. You could eat them as one item, holding on to both sticks as you licked the melting fruit juice, or you could try to break them in half to share with a friend. I don’t remember what other flavors the twin pops came in, but I tended to go with “red.” I haven’t been to an ice cream truck in a while, but I recently spotted the Tovolo Twin Pop Molds that allow you to make your own twin pops at home. The set comes with molds to make four double pops. The bases, even though they are plastic, will also separate to give you the option of splitting your pop, just like the ones from the ice cream truck. All of the molds snap into a base to hold them upright in the freezer as they set, too. You’ll have to supply your own ice cream truck jingle, but the pops will be just as satisfying as they were when you were a kid.
I’m staying away from “red” pops this time around and would fill these with Strawberry Margarita Popsicles or Homemade Fudgesicles instead.
Fudgsicles were one of my favorite summertime treats as a child. They are chocolate popsicles, with a great chocolate flavor to them. I’ve seen lots of recipes for Fudgsicles over the years and have noticed that, in spite of their names, none of them are really quite like the original Fudgsicles. Oh, they’re all very chocolaty, but many recipes call for lots of cream or chocolate – neither of which is actually in the original Fudgsicle! The originals have just a few main ingredients, including skim milk, sugar and cocoa powder (as well as emulsifiers and flavorings). They’re simple, flavorful and low in fat and calories – all things that have kept these popsicles popular over the years.
So, when I set out to make my own homemade Fudgesicles, I wanted them to be as similar as possible to the originals. These are popsicles made with milk, cocoa powder and sugar – not ice cream shoved into popsicle molds! Everything is stirred together in a medium saucepan, then poured into popsicle molds. The size of your finished popsicle will vary on the size of your mold. I used Tovolo’s Groovy Popsicle Molds. Be creative if you don’t have molds, as you can easily make popsicles without a mold, too.
The Fudgsicles are delicious. They have a great chocolate flavor and are not too sweet. They are also not too icy and melt smoothly on your tongue. If you’re worried about them being too sweet from the sugar in the base recipe – don’t be. Things taste less sweet when they’re chilled, so even if the base tastes a bit sweet, it shouldn’t be a problem when the popsicles are done. The sugar (and the corn syrup or agave syrup – your choice) also keeps the popsicles from getting too hard and icy. You can leave out the little bit of corn syrup if you prefer, but your pop might be a touch icier as a result.
I’ll be making these again and again this summer – or at least making a few big batches to keep on hand for snacking on hot days!
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