Chocolate covered strawberries turned into popsicles with this delicious healthy, refined-sugar free, creamy refreshing dessert! It's pure indulgence in the form of a cool and creamy treat!
Add in the 2 cups quartered strawberries, water, and dates.
Simmer on low-medium heat until you start to see the strawberries and dates soften and juices release (~10-15min).
Turn the heat off, remove pan from stove, and allow the strawberry-date-water mixture to cool.
Once cooled, add the strawberry-date-water miture, coconut cream, vanilla extract, and freshly squeezed lemon juice into a blender and completely puree (I used my Vitamix, but any blender should work just fine).
Pour the contents of the blender out into a mixing bowl. If using, mix in the 1/2 cup of finely diced strawberries.
Pour mixture into popsicle molds and place in the freezer overnight!
At this point, the strawberry cream popsicles will taste delicious as is. So technically you can stop at this point, but to take them to the next level, let's DIP them in dark chocolate!
For the Chocolate Coating:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it in the freezer until ready to use. This will help keep the chocolate covered popsicles cool while you are working with them.
Completely melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together using the double broiler method. The melted chocolate should be pour-able. Remove from heat and set aside.
Work with 3 popsicles at a time and work quickly to keep the popsicles from melting.
Remove 3 popsicles from the freezer mold. Remove the lined baking sheet from the freezer and set aside. Dip the top half of both sides of each popsicle into the melted chocolate (or use a spoon to pour). Be sure the chocolate is well coated and place immediately on the chilled lined baking sheet. After all three popsicles are done, place the baking sheet back in the freezer until you get the next 3 ready. Repeat this step to coat the remainder of the popsicles, working quickly.
Once you are done coating all the popsicles with chocolate, keep the baking sheet in the freezer to allow the chocolate shells to harden and then enjoy!
Store any extra popsicles in a freezable airtight container with parchment paper in between the popsicles layers. Keep in freezer and enjoy on demand!
Notes
Coconut Cream - Be sure to use the thick coconut cream for this recipe. I like to buy the cans of coconut cream from Trader Joe's for this recipe, but you can also place a can of Thai Kitchen brand full-fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight and use the thick solidified separated part of the can when opened (use the leftover coconut water in smoothies).This recipe is sweetened entirely by strawberries and dates. If you feel like you need additional sweetness, feel free to add in one more date.For this recipe, I recommend using your favorite vegan dark chocolate bar or Enjoy Life brand Dark Chocolate Chips (vegan).