Growing up, I ate a lot of fudgicles. Fudgsicles® is actually the proper term but I always dropped the “s” and called them fudgicles. They were a frequent after dinner treat, welcome on hot summer days. Later, swayed by Bill Cosby perhaps, we switched to Jell-o Pudding Pops and I loved the rich, fudgy, almost chewy texture. Sure, there were other frozen treats in rotation – ice cream, push-ups, creamsicles and the like – but those chewy pudding pops were by far the best.
For the last year or so, I’ve been making a lot of popsicles. They’re easy to have on hand, fun to play around with flavors and are pretty much portion controlled. I’ve stuck mostly to fruity combinations working with whatever seasonal fruit I’ve over bought, with one foray into the delicious world of avocado. I decided it was high time to try something chocolate. While killing time in a recent tamale class I was teaching, my students made some Mexican hot chocolate while the tamales steamed. Sipping my cup I thought, now there’s a flavor worth trying.
I almost always have discs of Mexican chocolate in the cupboard – dark chocolate laced with sugar and cinnamon – and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate now and again. The two big brands in these parts are Ibarra and Abuelita, both of which are quite nice but you can get fancy with some specialty chocolate if you look around, like Taza. Recently, I’ve also noticed many variations beyond the standard discs – powdered dry mixes and syrups. But I like the discs.
I played with this one for a while because it took time to get that texture right. At first, they were too icy. After much experimentation, I came to terms with the one true fix for that – fat. Yup. Less milk, more cream. I’m sure there are other ways to do this but without a lot of alchemy and manipulation, this is an easy route. I’ve never professed to being a low fat type of cook and it did the trick. What you’re making here is a sort of pudding, thickened with cornstarch. It makes a big difference in getting the frozen texture correct.
Cocoa kicks the chocolate flavor up a notch, a bit more cinnamon adds some additional flavor and then, just for grins, I add a good pinch of cayenne for a little heat. But be careful. Early on in testing I added what seemed like a surprisingly small amount for the overall volume and they were uncomfortably spicy. Strangely addictive though. Needless to say I’ve brought it down a few rungs.
Memorial Day weekend I brought a batch of these up to my friends cabin but didn’t want to deal with my popsicle molds. They take up a lot of freezer space (and car space) and only make 10 at a time. So I did a little google searching and found ice pop bags on Amazon and instantly thought “Otter Pops!”. These bags solved many problems. I could make a bunch at once, layer them nicely and neatly in a corner of the freezer and be done with it. Fudgy spicy chocolately otter pops. They worked great and no unmolding/wrapping necessary. In fact, next time I’m going to fill them at home to make it even easier. Look into it. Side note: The bags were rather long, jumbo Otter Pop size, so I cut them down and filled with the aid of a funnel, tying off the tops. This works well as long as your mixture is liquid. I tried it with the avocado mixture, which was too thick to go through the funnel. Disaster. In that case, I’d try a pastry tip/bag combination.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SUMMER DAY PERFECTION. I’ve said this before but anytime you can recreate something from your childhood, something tightly wrapped in happy memories, is a challenge. And deeply satisfying when you get it right. I haven’t looked lately but I’m not even sure those Jello-o Pudding Pops are still available. Are they? Regardless, these are better. Now I have to work on those blue Otter Pops. Blue always was my favorite flavor.
On this blog three years ago: What is a cobbler anyway?
On this blog two years ago: Rhubarb Syrup & Hipster Cocktails
On this blog one year ago: Pear Frangipane Tarts
Other recipes with Mexican chocolate: Mexican Hot Chocolate (and you must make the Chocolate Churros too …)
Other popsicle recipes on this blog: Avocado Lime Tequila Popsicles, Homemade Creamsicles, Bastille Day Bomb Pops, Strawberry Hibiscus Popsicles
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE PUDDING POPS
Makes about 8 popsicles depending on the size of your molds
½ disc of Mexican chocolate, finely chopped (1 ¾ ounces)
2/3 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cayenne
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
- In a medium saucepan whisk together the chocolate, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder to combine then whisk in the milk until smooth.
- Over medium heat, whisking frequently, cook until the mixture thickens and the chocolate fully melts, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla and cream, stirring until well combined.
- Let the mixture cool then pour into popsicle molds (or ice pop bags – use a funnel and tie off.)
- Freeze completely before unmolding, then wrap in plastic for longer storage.
STRESSCAKE 
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