Chocolate & Vanilla Pudding Pop Recipe

When I first discovered I could create sweets that have a serving of veggies in them without compromising flavor, a whole new world opened up.  All of a sudden, I had even the pickiest eaters knocking at my door for popsicles and other treats and I giggled gleefully watched them eat spinach, cauliflower and avocado unrecognizably mixed in.   Why is it so pleasing to be just a little bit deceptive? I love to see people eat healthy food even if they don’t know it. I wish that all children (and adults) would find love in avocado or broccoli or raddichio but it’s just not going to happen.  But that shouldn’t stop us from trying, offering, eating as example and making them in many delicious ways. In the meantime, blending the nutrition in can be of great assistance in getting them to gobble down the goodness.

I grew up in the 80’s when frozen food was abundant and jello Pudding pops were a big deal and I was completely on board with that.  Pudding? Frozen? Yes!

What a concept.  It felt like a celebration when my mom brought home that creamy treat and I loved every lick of them sometimes two or three bars in one evening. Yikes! My favorite flavor was the chocolate and vanilla swirl.  Seriously, they were what 7 year-old dreams were made of.

Fast forward to many years later, I find out that that the love of my life was a processed sugar mess filled with gut destroying chemicals.  True heartbreak. So naturally, that became my mission to recreate the love of my youthful summers. Instead of just freezing pudding, too easy, I upgraded them into sneaky treats keeping the unbelievably rich and creamy taste and adding in some extra nutrition. You can choose to make them all chocolate, all vanilla, or mix the two (which I highly recommend).  To keep it easy, everything can be made in a blender.

Now, the popsicles are amazing, but you can even eat the pudding as is and use the vanilla base for other drinks and desserts, making them the perfect summer staple.

One of my friends used the vanilla as the milk in her signature White Russian cocktails (game changer) and the chocolate pudding made a great addition to my chocolate hazelnut butter “milkshake.”  So be sure to think outside the box!

Note:  The pudding and base are sweeter than I would normally make to account for freezing them.  You can use less maple syrup, use honey or even dates to sweeten for similar flavor.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Makes two full servings

Ingredients:

2 avocados

3 TBSP cacao powder

1 pinch of salt

1½ tsp. of vanilla extract

7 TBSP of maple syrup

Add everything to a blender and blend until delightfully creamy.  If this is too difficult to add to popsicle mold you can blend in a bit of non-dairy milk to thin it out.  Set aside. Now make the vanilla base.

Vanilla Base

This recipe makes enough to fill 8-10 popsicle molds but you can always cut it in half.   

2 cans full fat coconut milk

1 cup frozen cauliflower (I steam mine and then freeze)

1 tsp. vanilla

8 small dates (soak in warm water for 15 minutes and remove pits)

Add it all to a blender and blend until well mixed.

To assemble the Pops:

Alternate between adding the vanilla base and the chocolate pudding and use a knife or chopstick to poke to the bottom of the mold to blend a bit.  Freeze for at least 7-8 hours, remove and enjoy!