Chunky Peanut Butter Cup Pudding Popsicles

Chunky Peanut Butter Cup Pudding Popsicles are creamy, almost impossibly decadent frozen treats made with everybody’s favorite flavor combination ~ these homemade ice cream bars aren’t just for kids!

I’m kicking off the unofficial start of summer with a whole week of new popsicle recipes, tips, and useful links! Homemade popsicles are so incredibly versatile I need an entire week to explore all the reasons why you NEED these in your life this summer. I’m dedicating each day this week to a different kind of popsicle, and today it’s these old fashioned chunky peanut butter cup pudding popsicles! Invented in the 70s, pudding popsicles are made with actual pudding, and are still inspiring some of the most creative frozen treats out there.

My debut pudding pop is inspired by this one by Matt at Real Food by Dad. I couldn’t stop gawking at it so I decided to make a version for myself. His uses both chocolate and vanilla pudding, and Butterfingers. Yum. I love the look of the rugged veins of candy running through the pudding. A total departure from all of my other pops so far, thanks Matt!

Pudding pops are distinctive because they are so utterly creamy, there’s not a hint of iciness about them. But in general I’d say that they fall into the kid-pop realm. For convenience they’re usually made with boxed pudding mixes, and while I can’t think of a kid who would turn up his or her nose at one, I think adults would prefer a homemade pudding. That’s easily done, just substitute any homemade pudding for the box. At the end of the post I’ve linked to a Martha Stewart vanilla pudding pop and you can use that recipe as a base.

In these chunky peanut butter cup pudding popsicles, the peanut butter flavor comes through loud and clear thanks to the full cup of peanut butter I added to the pudding toward the end of cooking. Chopped Reese’s Cups adds a decadent chocolatey layer. If you love the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter, my PEANUT BUTTER PIE BARS are another no-bake, delicious treat!

Any chocolate candy can be chopped and layered into the pudding for a customized recipe, I’m thinking Snickers, or peanut M&Ms might be good. And one of the nice perks of pudding pops is that they don’t get as drippy as other popsicles. The pudding keeps its shape, so it’s a little easier to serve to a crowd. If you want to dole them out one at a time, wrap them in a plastic baggie after removing them from the mold.

TIPS ~

• A pastry bag helps with filling the molds with warm pudding. It also helps force the pudding into the crevices created by the chopped candy. Rap the mold firmly on a hard surface to remove any air pockets before freezing.
•  Pudding pops need extra time in the freezer to firm up, so plan on at least 5 or 6 hours, or overnight.

Chunky Peanut Butter Cup Pudding Popsicles

2.75 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

 

• 1 4.6 oz box of vanilla 'cook and serve' pudding mix
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup chunky peanut butter
• approximately 12-14 mini peanut butter cups, I used Reese's Dark Miniatures

Instructions

• Heat the milk and the pudding mix in a saucepan over medium heat according to the package directions. Just before the mixture comes to a boil, stir in the peanut butter. Stir to completely incorporate the peanut butter, and when everything just comes to a boil and is thickened, take it off the heat and let cool slightly.
• Chop the peanut butter cups into small pieces.
• Spoon the pudding into a pastry bag and squeeze a layer of pudding into each popsicle mold. Fill each one about 1/3 - 1/2 the way up.
• Divide the chocolate evenly between all the molds. Then fill to the top with pudding. Firmly rap the mold on a hard surface to make sure the pudding fills the mold and to avoid large air pockets.
• Insert a stick into each popsicle, no need for a top since the pudding is thick enough to hold the stick upright.
• Freeze until firm, about 5-6 hours, or overnight.
• To unmold the popsicles, fill the sink with hot water and immerse the mold right up to, but not over, the top lip for about 15-20 seconds. If the pops don't slide out easily, immerse again for a few seconds.
• Store the popsicles in plastic baggies in the freezer.

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Author: Sue Moran

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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And here are a few of my favorite pudding popsicles from other blogs (if I missed your favorite, let me know in the comments!) —

Rocky Road Pudding Popsicles from Chocolate Chocolate and More

Healthier Fudge Pudding Popsicles  from Chocolate & Carrots

Vanilla Pudding Pops from Martha Stewart

Apricot Rice Pudding Pops from Epicurious

Oreo Pudding Pops from No. 2 Pencil

Butterscotch Pudding Pops from Smitten Kitchen