Summer is here, time to get cool with a childhood favorite dessert, Fudgesicles. I remember making Fudgesicles with my mom. We used the Tupperware popsicle cups to make them, which I now have and use. (They are pictured). Childhood memories of a favorite summer dessert, such as Fudgsicles, always bring a warm feeling to your heart and are part of the delight of making and eating them.
The Fudgesicle can trace its origins to about 1923, when Frank Epperson created a chocolate version of the popular popsicle. And people fell in love with the frozen, creamy, chocolate dessert on a stick. Maybe part of the appeal of Fudgesicles is the way people feel after eating them. Studies on chocolate have found that it contains phenylethylamine and serotonin, both “feel-good” chemicals. They occur naturally in our bodies and are released by our brains when we are happy, loving, or passionate. It produces a euphoric feeling, like when you’re in love. Plus, dark chocolate is a nutritious, antioxidant-rich food that may lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. It may also improve blood flow, skin health, and brain function.
Fudgesicles
1 package (10.9 oz.) extra firm, silken tofu
¼ cup rice beverage
4 oz. bar unsweetened cocoa
1 cup brown rice syrup (or ½ cup maple syrup)
pinch sea salt
Steam the tofu for 5 minutes. Put the tofu and rice beverage in a food processor and puree until the tofu breaks up. Put the unsweetened cocoa bar in a saucepan over low heat and start melting the cocoa. When the cocoa bar starts to melt, add the brown rice syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Once cocoa has melted, stir the warm mixture together. Put the melted cocoa in the food processor and puree until all is smooth. Check that the tofu has no chunks in the mixture. Once all is smooth, pour into Popsicle cups. Freeze the fudgesicles until completely frozen. When ready to eat, run some warm water over the Popsicle cups to make them easy to remove.
