Sunday S'mores: Easy S'mores Pudding Pops

I have a confession to make. I wasn't sure if I would have anything ready for Sunday S'mores this week. I wasn't feeling great the last couple of days, and it was getting to the point where I was thinking that I might just share some s'mores-themed recipes that I'd been collecting across the interwebz.

Inspiration finally hit last night when I was eating the last of the toasted marshmallow ice cream. What about pops? I thought. I could do like a graham cracker crust, and I have some hot fudge in the refrigerator. And hey, wouldn't it be great with some of the marshmallow ice cream? Look down at the empty bowl in my hands. Oops. Well I've got some marshmallows and some instant pudding. That might work instead.

I used some silicone baking cups that I had gotten for Christmas as the molds, and let me tell you- they worked beautifully. They kept their shape and I was able to pop the pops (heh) out super easily.

These were thrown together last minute last night, so when I call them easy, I really mean easy. Plus, the graham cracker crust and gooey fudge surprise in the middle make them seem elegant and decadent and not at all like something that you threw together 10 minutes before bedtime, so that's always a plus.

Before I share the recipe with you, there's something else. Kayle, aka The Cooking Actress, awarded me with the Addictive Blog Award!

 

I'm not sure that Kayle's read her own blog, because I hardly think of this as addictive compared to her's! But thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back.

2. Share a little bit about why you started blogging.

3. Copy and paste the award to your blog.

4. Nominate 10 other Addictive bloggers and let them know!

Why did I start blogging? Mostly to see if I could. And to do something constructive with all of the baking I'd been doing.

The nominees are:

1. Jen from Juanita's Cocina
2. Heidi from Young Grasshopper
3. Jennie from The Messy Baker
4. C.J. from Food Stories
5. Choc Chip Uru from Go Bake Yourself
6. Brianne from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
7. The Squishy Monster
8. Arva from I Live in a Frying Pan
9. Megan from domestic diva, M.D.
10. Amy from Oh, Bite It!

Easy S’mores Pudding Pops {Printable Version}  

Yield: 12 cupcake-sized pops

Ingredients 
For the crust: 
1 ½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs 
5 tbsp. melted butter 
3 tbsp. brown sugar

For the pops: 
6 tbsp. fudge sauce 
Approx. 72 mini marshmallows 
1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix (plus ingredients on box)

Directions 
Prepare the crust: in a mixing bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter.

Spoon a small amount of the crust into each pop mold* and press it down evenly, allowing a small amount to come up the sides. Heat the fudge sauce to spreadable consistency and spoon 1 ½ tsp. into each pop mold, spreading it to fill the prepared crust. Add about 6 mini marshmallows to each pop mold.

Prepare the pudding mix according to the directions on the package. Before it starts to thicken, distribute it evenly between the molds, being careful to leave at least ¼ inch from the top. Tap the molds gently to get rid of air bubbles. Add lollipop sticks, making sure to push them to the bottom of the mold so the graham cracker crust holds it in place. Freeze 2 hours, until the top has hardened.

Remove the pops from the freezer and press the remaining crust evenly on the top of each pop. If the crust isn’t sticking, let the pops sit at room temperature for a minute or heat the crust mixture for a few seconds in the microwave. Freeze for 4 hours.

*I used silicone baking cups as my molds, and that influenced my measurements. Any sort of wide-mouthed mold works well for these pops, including plastic cups, but you may have to adjust your ingredients accordingly.

Recipe by Kim