¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
⅔ cups granulated sugar
2 TB cornstarch
3 TB cocoa powder, natural unsweetened
2 ½ cups whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 TB butter

Instructions

Place chocolate chips in a small glass bowl and microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chocolate is smoothly melted.
In a medium saucepan, combine the melted chocolate, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and milk. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens, 10 mimutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and butter, stirring to incorporate.
Let mixture cool just until it is warm (not hot) and stir again. Pour into 6 large popsicle molds (or 8 smaller molds.)
Freeze completely and serve.

Notes

To avoid lumps in your fudge popsicle mixture, make sure to thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients (sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder) before adding the milk.
When heating the mixture on the stove, stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the pan and burning. This will also help the ingredients to combine evenly and thicken properly.
Allow the mixture to cool until it is just warm, not hot, before pouring it into the popsicle molds. This helps to prevent the formation of ice crystals, giving your popsicles a smoother texture.