Well, I’m stuck inside during a snowstorm again, and not very excited about it. Since it’s so cold out, I was craving hot chocolate…but I’m also wishing for summer, so I decided to make a fudgesicle (aka a chocolate popsicle). Then I figured, why not combine the two?

This recipe is super simple- it’s based on Mexican hot chocolate, which is just good old hot chocolate with a little flair of cinnamon. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare. It also is gluten free, and can be made dairy free with a few modifications.

Here are the ingredients:

• Hot chocolate powder (I used Hershey’s powder, but you can use any mix. You could also buy a dairy free hot chocolate mix.)
• Boiling water
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon per mug of hot chocolate (optional, you can just make plain hot chocolate)
• Tall, thin plastic container (I have a little popsicle holder, but any tall thin container will work)
• Popsicle sticks
• Milk and whipped cream (optional, and you can use dairy free varieties)

Here’s how you make it:

Boil hot water in a kettle or however you usually boil water. While the water is boiling, put about 4 tbsp of hot chocolate mix and 1/8 tsp cinnamon in your favorite mug. It’s a lot of mix, but it’ll be super yummy and chocolatey. Then, pour the boiling water into the mug and stir until the mix and cinnamon are fully dissolved. Pour a little bit of low-fat milk into the mug. Finally, top it with whipped cream and stir the cream in to make the hot chocolate wonderful and smooth.

Pour the hot chocolate from the mug into your popsicle containers (do this over the sink- mine spilled a bit!). For me, each mug’s worth made about 6 fudgesicles. Put a popsicle stick in the middle of each plastic container. My popsicle holder has these little plastic sticks that fit right in, but popsicle sticks work just fine too!

Next, carefully put the containers in the freezer for about 6 hours. I know it’s a long time, but it’s definitely worth the wait! When they’re done, hold the plastic container sideways under warm water. Make sure the warm water is only hitting the plastic and not the popsicle, or else it’ll melt too much. After about 30 seconds, the popsicle should slide out of the container with a little bit of pulling.

Now enjoy! This recipe is so simple, but SO yummy. Its the perfect blend of creamy chocolate and a refreshing cool fudgesicle.

Possible Variations:

1. You can skip the popsicle sticks and just pour the hot chocolate into a regular glass pan. Then, put it in the freezer for 6 hours; but every 45 minutes or so, take the pan out and shave the ice with a fork. This will create a fantastic granular texture, more like an Italian ice or a granita. It’s also easier than trying to balance popsicle sticks! It’ll come out looking like this:

2. Leave out the cinnamon, and make it regular American hot chocolate. That’s equally delicious!