Summertime calls for fudgesicles! There is nothing more fun or sensible than homemade popsicles. You want low sugar? Use less sugar or a natural sugar substitute. Want 100% fruit juice? Use frozen fruit concentrates. Want dairy-free? Use almond milk or coconut milk. You get the idea. AND KIDS LOVE MAKING THEM AND MAKING THEIR OWN VARIATIONS. The focus here is a fudgesicle. We are suckers for chocolate and so here's what I've come up with over the years. Start with your basic chocolate pudding recipe. I use 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa, 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Put those ingredients in a medium saucepan and then add 2 cups milk and 2 egg yolks. Take to medium heat and bring to a simmer, wisking often to keep the mixture smooth. Once it comes to a boil, cook another minute longer, wisking periodically. Add a handful of chocolate chips and stir those into the hot pudding. We beef up the pudding with that additional chocolate because we are going to dilute it with a cup of milk or yogurt or a combination of the two. The reason we dilute the pudding with more liquid is to make the frozen consistency firmer like a store-bought fudgesicle. You can add more liquid if you want to make the fudge firmer. Round up your molds. At this point you can customize even further. Want to add some chopped banana, Berry pieces or mini marshmallows to the mold? This is where the kids really shine. Don't go too crazy because the mold should be mostly pudding. If you need to take a long skewer or chopsticks and stir things a bit to get pudding to the bottom, then do so. Fill to the top, secure the lids and take to the freezer. That is it! You might ask, can I use instant pudding? Yes! It’s important to dilute the pudding with that additional cup of yogurt or milk though. Try it all kinds of ways and make it work for your family. It is a fun project! And invest in plenty of molds so you can have a healthy snack all year long!