5-ingredient Mocha Latte Popsicles

Summertime and the living's easy.

And hot. It's very hot.

Now, I admit. I am not one who knows how to deal with the heat well. I don't like being hot, I hate the feeling of being sweaty and uncomfortable. I also hate bugs. I am just so pleasant to be around this time of year!

To help with my aforementioned issues with summer in general, I made us super-simple, super-refreshing, creamy and energizing popsicles! They are 5-ingredient Mocha Latte Popsicles to be exact, and I just love them so much! Homemade popsicles are the best way to keep cool in this summer heat, with seemingly endless tasty combinations to make. Plus - absolutely NO cooking is involved...no hot oven, no open flames on the stovetop, thank goodness!

The base of this recipe is a can of that magical ingredient called sweetened condensed milk. If you've ever made key lime pie, you've likely encountered this luxuriously decadent liquid. Nothing can compare to it. It'll add just the right amount of sweetness and creaminess we need to replicate the "latte" portion of this popsicle. Next, we will whisk, whisk, whisk some good, old fashioned chocolate syrup into a cup of strongly brewed coffee...that's the "mocha"! Do you see where I'm going with this?

So, there's sweetened condensed milk, coffee, and chocolate syrup...that's 3 ingredients. To tie everything together, we will add a bit of milk and some pure vanilla extract for a gourmet touch. That's right, that's all you need for this beautiful pops! I'm going to guess you probably have everything you need stashed away in your pantry or fridge, so what are you waiting for? It's popsicle time!

Here's what you need for 5-ingredient Mocha Latte Popsicles* (Print Recipe!)

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled completely (see note)
3 tablespoons chocolate sauce
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Here's what you do

Add the sweetened condensed milk to a large bowl, preferably with a spout. A 4-cup measuring cup also works very well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the coffee and chocolate sauce until the chocolate sauce has completely dissolved into the liquid. Add to the sweetened condensed milk and whisk until smooth. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract until combined.

Pour the mixture into popsicle molds. Cover and add wooden popsicle sticks about half-way down (you want to submerge the stick far enough so you can easily extract the pops from the mold, while still having enough stick to hold onto). Freeze at least 8 hours or overnight until completely frozen through. Un-mold* and enjoy! Garnish with chocolate sauce if you fancy!

Note: I used a cup of Starbucks unsweetened iced coffee sold in grocery stores for the coffee. This is a great shortcut and your coffee will already be chilled! Win-win.

Note: When it comes to un-molding the popsicles, let them come to room temperature for no longer than 5 minutes. If they don't come out easily, run the mold under hot water for a few seconds. A little elbow grease should be all you need at that point to get the pops out of the mold. I had a few sticks come out and leave the pops in the mold...very sad, but practice will make perfect - promise!

*Gas Stove Girl Original Recipe