In a medium saucepan, whisk together cocoa, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Slowly whisk in ½ cup of the milk and turn the heat to medium. Whisk constantly until sugar and cocoa are disolved, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to thicken, which takes about 5 minutes. Be sure to whisk every 30 to 60 seconds to prevent the milk from scalding.
Place chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl and place a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl, strain the pudding mixture over the strainer. Add the vanilla extract and stir until the chocolate chips have melted.
Refrigerate chocolate pudding mixtures for 15-20 minutes to cool.
Once the mixture is cooled, gently fold in whipped topping to incorporate.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until solid--at least 4 hours.
To remove a fudgesicle form the mold, place the mold under running hot water for a few seconds.
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Notes
Sugar: Use coconut sugar, raw sugar, or granulated sugar.Milk: Use canned, unsweetened coconut milk or whole milk for the best results. You can also use unsweetened plain almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk if desired. Chocolate Chips: Be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips if you are vegan or dairy-free. Whipped Topping: Coolwhip, SoDelicious Cocowhip, or Truwhip are all great options for this recipe. Homemade Fudgesicles can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Nutrition has been calculated using TruWhip and Whole Milk.