The Midwestern Gentleman ran a 50-mile leg of RAGBRAI last Tuesday (yes, he ran it), so I wanted to make a cool treat for him to enjoy when he finally arrived home after this latest insane accomplishment. He loves the combination of peanut butter and chocolate (hello, Reese’s!), so I whipped up these super simple, four-ingredient peanut butter swirl fudge pops. These are not a low-calorie treat, but they are loaded with “good” fats and contain no added sugar beyond what the chocolate and peanut butter themselves already have. They are also creamy and delicious!
Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge Pops
1/3 c. bittersweet chocolate chips*
1 (14-oz.) can full-fat coconut milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter**
* I use Ghirardelli’s 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips for a lower added sugar content than traditional semisweet chocolate chips.
** I use Smart Balance Creamy, which is sweetened slightly with molasses, because I love its flavor over all other peanut butters I have tried. It also has a wonderfully creamy texture that lends itself well to this recipe. (Note: Smart Balance Creamy has 3 g added sugar per serving, but each of these pops will contain less than a serving of peanut butter).
Place the chocolate chips in a small, glass, microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second increments on HIGH, stirring vigorously between zaps, until melted and smooth. My chips took 60 seconds and a little bit of patience — try to use as little heat as necessary to melt the chocolate completely.
Shake the can of coconut milk well. Pour half of the coconut milk into the bowl of melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and whisk together until smooth. Spoon half of this mixture into popsicle molds and set in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining coconut milk with the peanut butter in another small bowl. Remove the popsicle molds from the freezer, pour half of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate mixture in the molds (some mixing and swirling will occur) and then freeze for another 5 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining chocolate and peanut butter mixtures. Insert sticks into the molds, and let finished pops freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Makes 4 large popsicles.