4-Ingredient Fat Free Chocolate Pops (Easy Homemade Fudgesicles)
~ Only four simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make these all-natural, no-fat chocolate ice pops! These decadently rich and creamy homemade fudgesicles will keep you cool all summer long! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less (Plus Freezing) • Freezable • Make Ahead • Vegetarian • Gluten Free •
In my kitchen, there are typically three scenarios that take place when I’m testing a new recipe.
Sometimes things go really, really well. The planets align, and everything turns out exactly as I’d envisioned. I feel like a superstar. I love that.
Then there are the times when I make something and it doesn’t quite go as planned. Sometimes I feel like I just can’t win … especially if smoke billows from the oven.
But then there are the times when I’m trying to create a recipe (it’s so vivid in my mind!) – and it morphs into something totally (but fantastically!) different. (Within reason, now … it’s not like I start with a can of Spam and end up with lobster. But that would be great if that’s how it worked … )
I’ve talked about those “happy accidents” here several times.
Sure, it can be frustrating when you’ve got a great idea in mind, and things don’t work out as planned.
Except … when things go deliciously well. Like, my kids are grabbing the container and it’s a whirl of spoons and chocolate.
These fudgesicles happened just that way.
You see, once upon a time, I was trying to make fudge. I tried several different formulations. And, ummm, I seemed to be getting everything but fudge at first.
At one point, I ended up with Chocolate Lava Dip. Not that we were disappointed about that. I mean, really, lava dip isn’t a bad stop on the journey to our 4-Ingredient (No Butter!) Chocolate Fudge with Coconut!
And we also ended up with fudgesicles (but homemade, and waaaaaay healthier than the Fudgsicles® your kiddos beg for at the grocery store)!
You see, my original idea for the whole fudge thing was actually for freezer fudge (which I never did end up with). Sadly, there was nothing fudge-like about this particular version … except the taste.
My girls were actually extremely excited about this very unexpected and unfortunate hugely successful endeavor. My oldest exclaimed, “Yummy!!! Fudgesicles!!!” as she dug in for another bite. The littlest cried out, “She’s eating it all!! I want some, too!” They loved the fudge-that-was-not-fudge!! Yes! Fudgesicles!
Alrighty then. Freezer fudge out, and fudgesicles in! (And when served on a stick they’re way more fun to eat!!) Unexpected. But … Awesome!
I literally had to pry these chocolate popsicles out of my kids’ hands so I could photograph them. There was possibly stomping and tears involved. (From the children, not me.)
But once I’d snagged the photos of these yummy chocolate ice pops, cheering and happiness and dancing ensued! Joy! Glee! Chocolate!!! My little ones were ecstatic (tiny chocolate mustaches and all).
I just love those smiling faces … and if you’ve got five minutes, you can whip up a snack that’ll have your little ones smiling and dancing, too!
Yes … only five minutes to make!!
Best part … only four little, natural ingredients! (When you’re done dancing … I’ll tell ‘ya what they are!)
Ok … ready? It’s just a can of evaporated milk, plus some regular-old refrigerated milk, honey, and cocoa powder. Yes friends, that’s all it takes to make this chocolate-on-a-stick, fudgy-goodness!
Easy, breezy and super cool. All summer long!
4-Ingredient Fat Free Chocolate Pops (Easy Homemade Fudgesicles)
You only need 4 simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make these yummy, nonfat Chocolate Popsicles! So easy, and these homemade Fudgesicles are still decadently rich and creamy!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less (Plus Freezing) • Freezable • Make Ahead • Vegetarian • Gluten Free •
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) can fat-free, evaporated milk (such as Carnation – NOT sweetened condensed milk)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup nonfat milk (refrigerated)
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until completely mixed together, making sure cocoa powder is completely dissolved.
- Divide mixture evenly among 8 three-ounce ice pop molds.
- Freeze until solid, then unmold and enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: 1 FudgesicleAmount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 60mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
How long do they take to freeze? Will children be able to eat them before leaving school the same day?
Hi Kathy! To be honest, exactly how long these fudgesicles will take to freeze will depend on exactly how cold your freezer is set, how many times it gets opened (for peeking! 😉 ) during the freezing process, and on how cold your ingredients were to start with. A ballpark estimate might be 3-4 hours, but it really can vary, and there are things you can do to help the process along. I’m gathering from your question that maybe you’re a teacher who’d like to make these with her class and have the kiddos eat them later in the day??? (How fun!) Some things that will help these pops freeze faster include: set the freezer to a very cold temp, DON’T keep peeking, and start with VERY cold milk and evaporated milk. Also, you could fill your molds a little less full (you’ll also get more fudgesicles out of the recipe that way), so there’s less to freeze. I hope this all helps you! Good luck – have fun!! ~Shelley
I don’t have honey, can I use sugar? Or maple syrup?
Hi, Maria! Thanks for the great question! I haven’t specifically tried either of these substitutions in this Fudgesicle recipe, but I do think that either would work. Of course, the flavor profile of the finished pops will be a bit different depending on which you choose. Also, with the sugar, you would just want to be sure that it dissolved completely. If you give one of these alternatives a shot, I’d love to hear how it works out! Good luck! ~Shelley
I can’t compare it with honey but I did try with sugar and it is still really good! I used a 1/3 cup and it wasn’t too sweet. It was just right for me 🙂
Oh, Maria – that’s wonderful feedback! Thanks so much for taking a moment to let me (and all our other readers) know how it worked out! So appreciated! And I’m delighted that you enjoyed them! ~Shelley
Whenever I make anything like this I always use lactose free milk or almond milk because they have to be dairy free in our house. Is there anyway to switch out the can of evaporated milk with something else
Hi Erica! Terrific question! I haven’t tried this, but I did a bit of Google searching for you, and found some great ideas for you to try. Specifically, check out a site called Kids with Allergies, and their suggestions for milk substitutions (http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/milk-allergy-recipe-substitutions.aspx).
Basically, they recommend a couple of different strategies. One is to simmer rice or soy milk (being careful not to scald it), until it’s reduced by 60% (to emulate the reduction of water content in typical evaporated milk). They specify that roughly 3 cups of soy or rice milk will reduce to about 1 cup. Alternately, the site suggests that you can substitute coconut milk in a 1:1 ratio – but this will, of course, add a slight coconut flavor (which I think would be delicious combined here with the chocolate!).
Since I haven’t tried any of these methods yet myself, I’d be really interested to hear what you try and how it works out. Good luck – and thanks again for the great question! 🙂 ~Shelley
What is the calorie count
Hi Patricia!
Here’s a little explanation of why we have (at least thus far) opted not to include nutrition info (including calorie counts) with our recipes – and how you might more accurately calculate your own. We’ve actually debated since the beginning of this blog whether or not we should supply nutrition info (and address it in our FAQ (http://twohealthykitchens.com/about/).
Especially with Gretchen’s (my original business partner’s) master’s degree in nutrition, she could easily have calculated that manually – plus there are loads of online calculators to use. However, for a variety of reasons, we have decided over and over again not to do that. One big reason is that we generally don’t specify exact brands (although on some occasions we need to), so the final nutritional profile of a recipe can vary widely, depending on the purchasing decisions our readers make. In the end, it could almost be a bit misleading to quote nutritional info, if readers make significantly different purchasing choices than we did in testing. Although that problem wouldn’t be a big issue with this specific Fudgesicle recipe, it could be for a lot of other recipes on our site. For example, the final nutritional profile of our most popular recipe ever – our very simple 3-Ingredient Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos – could vary tremendously (particularly, in this case, the sodium) depending on which taco seasoning and which salsa someone purchases.
My best suggestion would be to use your favorite online nutrition calculator, and plug in the exact brands you use to get the most accurate information. Do you subscribe to our newsletter? A few months ago, we sent out a whole list of different recipe calculators in our newsletter. Too long to publish here (this is already such long answer!), but shoot me an email if you’re interested, and I can send that along for you!
Also … having said all of this … I want you to know that we get questions like this from other readers from time to time, too. As a result, we are always re-evaluating this very good question and exploring how we may be able to offer nutrition information in a way that we can feel good about – a way that’s helpful and not potentially misleading. So stay tuned …
Thanks so much for reaching out to us! I hope these explanations help you out at least a little!
Have a wonderful week! ~Shelley
Can’t wait until I get to make these for my grandkids, ttyl
Oh what fun! These fudgesicles are always such a hit around my house, and so great to share with neighborhood kiddos and visiting friends, too! Hope your grandkids adore them as much as we do! Happy, happy summer to you! 🙂 ~Shelley