Dark Chocolate Fudgsicles

Aren’t summer colds the worst? I’m not entirely sure if it is that they’re objectively more severe than the winter variety or it is just the injustice of being stuck inside during warm weather. They do seem to be more contagious than they are in the winter. I often can escape during the winter when someone else around me gets sick, but we are guaranteed a house full a sick people during the summer once one person contracts it.

This year’s version comes packed with a scratchy sore throat that calls out for the soothing qualities of a cold, sweet treat. I eat store-bought sugar-free popsicles as a bit of a sweet craving crutch and have been eyeing up the fudgsicles next to them in the ice cream novelties case at the supermarket. I work so hard to stay keto that I don’t want to falter at the time where I actually need to eat healthfully the most — when I’m ill. I don’t need the carb flu on top of the REAL flu.

Sometimes when I stand and look at my dry goods and spice pantries, I ask myself, “Do you think that maybe you have too much stuff?” Actually, that’s not me saying that — it is my wife. However, it pays off to have all those ingredients at your disposal when you want Dark Chocolate Fudgsicles and really aren’t looking forward to powering through your feverishness to execute a trip to the grocery store.

The recipe I had sketched out in my head had all its ingredients there. Quality Thai coconut milk? Check. Cocoa powder? Check. Erythritol and stevia glycerite? Check and check.

Xanthan gum? Xanthan gum? Xanthan gum? I had to root around for the xanthan gum that was going to be necessary to keep the Dark Chocolate Fudgsicles from getting icy and hard in the deep freeze. You need so little for any given recipe, it should be the last bottle I need to buy in my life. It hides from me, though. I think we all have a critical ingredient like that. Never there when we need it.

Xanthan gum is a scary sounding ingredient that anyone serious about being on a keto diet long term needs at your disposal if you plan on adapting recipes that bank on their thick, creamy texture. It isn’t something I use a lot, but when I need it, I need it. As a result it gradually works its way to the back of the spice pantry until I fish it out again like I did for this Dark Chocolate Fudgsicles recipe.

Coconut milk and cocoa powder are actually tailor-made for this applicaiton. At about 24% fat, coconut milk is perfect for frozen treats. Cocoa powder contributes intense flavor without added sugar or the fussiness of portioning and melting 100% cacao baking bars. They also tend not to be the least expensive of things.

I was as pleased with these as anything that has come out of my kitchen lately. I snitched one at about 8 hours in the freezer and it was still biteably soft, just like a fudgsicle should be. No one makes it through one without doing that, right?

I was still skeptical how they would be the next day since the mix had not been through a conventional ice cream churn and lacked any sugar at all. Normally that would add up to a frozen treat that would be rock hard. I anticipated I’d need to suffer through a few batches before I got the texture right. Nope. They were perfect. Xanthan gum to another keto’ers rescue.

The ultimate compliment (as always?) came from my artificial sweetener hating wife who said that it was flat out the best fudgsicle she ever had and was astonished you don’t see products like it sold commercially. I honestly don’t know why, either. Until they do — I am going to keep making this recipe.

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Dark Chocolate Fudgsicles

When making keto-friendly versions of classic recipes, I strive to not only make it as good as the original, but to surpass it. The use of a cocoa powder concentration bloomed in simmering Thai coconut milk is what makes this recipe. The chocolate shines through brightly, rather than barely being there like store-bought.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Keto, Low Carb, Thai

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes

Servings 6 small fudgsicles

Calories 133 kcal

Ingredients

• 13.5 oz coconut milk This is one can for me.
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup erythritol
• 6 drops stevia glycerite
• 1/8 rounded tsp xanthan gum

Instructions

1. Place everything except the stevia and xanthan gum into a pot and bring to a simmer. bringing down the heat to maintain it. Make sure the erythritol dissolves and simmer for 15 minutes to bloom the cocoa powder.
2. Add stevia glycerite two drops at a time to adjust sweetness to your taste. If it is already sweet enough for you, then you can just stop before this step.
3. Place xanthan gum into your shaker and evenly distribute all of it into the hot fudgsicle mix. Whisk vigorously until it thickens dramatically. It should be the consistency of chocolate pudding. This is the step that will keep the fudgsicles from getting rock hard in the freezer.
4. Cool your mix and distribute evenly into your popsicle mold. Freeze for at least 8 hours and preferably overnight.