Nutella Fudgsicles

Chocolaty fudgsicles were always one of my favorite frozen treats growing up. I made a huge mess almost every time I ate one – getting chocolate smears all over my face and my hands, as most kids tend to do – but since I wasn’t old enough to do my own laundry at the time, that was just part of the fun. These days, I still enjoy fudgsicles, though a few things have changed. I no longer make a big mess when I eat them (fortunately). I also no longer pick them up from the ice cream truck. Instead, I make them at home!

Homemade Fudgsicles are richer and more flavorful than their store-bought counterparts. Making them at home also allows you to incorporate other ingredients to build in some extra flavors, and that is exactly what I did when I created these Nutella Fudgsicles. These pops primarily get their flavor from cocoa powder, which gives them a strong, bittersweet chocolate flavor. Adding in Nutella adds notes of toasted hazelnut to the chocolate and makes the pops taste rich and creamy. Vanilla and chocolate extracts added just after cooking give the pops a little more depth of flavor. If you don’t have chocolate extract, you can omit it, but it will help enrich the other chocolate elements if you have some.

The number of popsicles that you’ll be able to make will vary widely depending on how large your molds are. Some molds, especially those for double pops, are very large and can hold a lot. No matter what size mold you use, I recommend allowing the popsicles to freeze overnight to ensure that they are set. Don’t forget to soak the popsicle molds in warm water for 15-20 seconds to loosen them before pulling them out to eat!

Nutella Fudgesicles
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1/4 cup Nutella
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chocolate extract (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine cocoa powder, sugar and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-heat, whisking to make sure that the cocoa powder dissolves completely. When the mixture comes to a simmer, whisk in the Nutella. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract and chocolate extract (if using).
Divide mixture into popsicle molds of your choice, leaving about 1/4-inch of space at the top of each mold, and freeze until set, 6 hours or overnight.

Makes 6-10 popsicles, depending on the size of your molds.