Avocado Fudgesicles

This post first appeared over at Real Housemoms where I am a contributor.  Avocado Fudgesicles are a creamy, chocolaty, guilt-free treat made with just five ingredients that you can feel good about eating!

Things are really heating up around here with the arrival of summer. And by heating up, I mean the long summer days are hot, hot, HOT! Our days are full of fun in the sun, splashing in the pool, and cooling off with frozen treats like these Avocado Fudgesicles.

Yep, you read that right. I said avocado. Now, I know what you're thinking. How on earth can avocado and fudgesicle possible go together in the same recipe? Keep an open mind here and let me explain!

You see, I'm the kind of mom who only gives her kids sweets in moderation. We don't indulge in a ton of cookies or cakes or even ice cream for that matter. We try to focus on healthier sweet treats like fresh fruit and yogurt. But, sometimes the kids want to indulge a bit and, as their momma, it's my job to teach them that letting loose once in a while is not only okay, but healthy.

There's only one problem with that theory. Because my kids don't indulge in sugary sweets all that often, when the do get their hands on "the good stuff" they turn into a bunch of sugar-fueled maniacs and proceed to bounce off the walls like crazy people. That's when summer fun turns into summer headaches for this mom and nobody likes to deal with a cranky mom. So, to keep the chaos at a minimum, I like to keep a few healthy recipes up my sleeve to pull out when we want a summer treat without all the crazy!

These fudgesicles are the perfect example of a healthy sweet treat that can help keep us cool during the summer months without getting us all sugared up. Like I said before, they use avocados as their creamy base. I know it sounds odd, but with the addition of a little nut milk, honey and dates as sweeteners, and cocoa powder to make them nice and chocolaty, you would never know that the avocado is on there at all. Really!

I'm not into tricking the kids into eating healthy foods and lying about what is in things just to get them to eat healthier, so I do disclose to them what they are made of. That's why I chose to keep the avocado in the title of this recipe.

You could call them magic fudge pops or just plain old fudgesicles if you want to, but I think making healthy sweet treats like this one is a great way to teach your kids (and yourself!) to think outside of the box a little when it comes to sweets!

Avocado Fudgesicles

   

Yield: 6-8 popsicles, depending on the size of your molds

Ingredients

• 8 Medjool dates
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 2 avocados
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup vanilla cashewmilk
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

1. Remove the pits from the dates and soak them in the hot water for 15 minutes or until softened.
2. Slice the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Scoop the avocado flesh into your food processor or blender. Add the soaked dates and their water, the cashewmilk, honey, and cocoa powder, and process until smooth.
3. Spoon mixture into popsicle molds and gently tap mold on the counter to remove any air bubbles.  Insert popsicle sticks and freeze for at least 4 hours or until frozen solid.

Notes

• You can substitute the cashewmilk for whatever kind of milk you have on hand.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips onto the top of the molds before inserting the popsicle sticks for a fun garnish!
• Run the popsicle molds under warm water to help release the popsicles from the mold.