Old-fashioned Fudgesicles are so easy to make... and the odds are good that you have all the simple ingredients right at your fingertips, right now!

They taste remarkably like the real McCoy... only better because they're homemade. ;-)

Here's my peppermint-embellished copycat version adapted from the Fudgesicle recipe at Food.com

Step 1: Tools, Ingredients and And Prep:

Tools:

Medium Saucepan
Popsicle Molds
Craft sticks, popsicle sticks OR disposable plastic sporks. (I ran out of craft sticks! ;-)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 cup (less 2 T) Sugar
2 Tablespoons Corn starch
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder- (I subbed with Special Dark Cocoa Powder at the last minute... YUM! ;-)
8 Peppermint hard candies
1 Tablespoon Butter (not pictured)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Prep:

Crush the peppermint candies inside a ziplock baggie. Remove 2 Tablespoons and add them to a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Reseal the baggie immediately. Humidity will cause the crushed candy to get sticky and that's not good for garnishing.

Add enough sugar to fill up the 1/2 cup measuring cup containing the crushed peppermint candy.

Put the peppermint/sugar into a medium saucepan. Add the milk, cornstarch and cocoa powder.

Heat over medium-high, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens at a soft boil.

Remove from heat, wisk in the vanilla extract and butter. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes so you don't get scalded.

Pour the cooled fudgesicle mixture into the molds. The mixture should thick enough to hold the popsicle sticks upright, but if it isn't, no worries. Just put the pops in the freezer for 30 minutes (set you timer!) then insert the sticks.

Freeze for a minimum of 8 hours.

If you aren't a peppermint fan, just leave out the candy and add 2 more Tablespoons of sugar to the recipe. This pop is delicious either way!

Step 2: Garnishing:

Just like the original, these copycat fudgesicles do not freeze rock-hard, nor should they. After a little trial and a little error, here's the easiest way I found for garnishing them:

Cover a large plate with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Microwave a glass full of water until it's super hot.

Unmold the pops quickly in the glass of hot water. Garnish each fudgesicle with a generous sprinkle of crushed candy and place it immediately on the plate in your freezer. Continue until all the fudgesicles are garnished.

Leave them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy... and be sure to check out my other Instructable recipes for more tasty popsicle treats!