In a medium size saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Whisk well to combine.
Stir in the milk.
Place the pan on the stove and cook on medium flame, whisking constantly, until the pudding starts to thicken up. This takes about 6~8 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Let the mixture cool slightly, then pour into the popsicle molds. Freeze for 4~6 hours or overnight.
When ready to eat, warm the popsicle lightly under hot water for a few seconds, then pop it out and enjoy!!
Notes
White sugar can be substituted with light brown or dark brown sugar. Liquid sweeteners will not give the best texture once the pops are frozen.
If you are using lower fat milk, like 2%, then stir in about ¼ cup of heavy cream to avoid icy texture.
You can make these chocolate pudding pops vegan, by using unsweetened almond or oat milk. Stir in a tiny bit of almond or coconut creamer to make a creamy version.
If you do not have cornstarch on hand, then you can use either all-purpose flour or arrowroot flour.
If using flour, you will need quite a lot of it - about 1 cup in this recipe. And the pudding will have to be cooked for longer, about 15 minutes to make it thick. Note that it will not be as glossy but since this is a frozen treat - it won't matter.
You can use the same amount of arrowroot as cornstarch and the result would be same as cornstarch. But it will need to be cooked for a little longer.
Taste the pudding and add more sugar before pouring it into the molds. Note that once frozen the sweetness will be tad less.
You can make these chocolate pudding pops vegan, by using unsweetened almond or oat milk. Stir in a tiny bit of almond or coconut creamer to make a creamy version.
You can use store-bought instant pudding packet to make the recipe. Just follow the recipe on the box, pour into popsicle molds and freeze.