Chocolate Covered Kiwis on a Stick — boost your intake of antioxidants with this fun recipe!

Mid April. Monday. Sunny day.

It’s time for a stunningly simple, yet gourmet-looking recipe peeps. 

Don’t you love the idea of food on a stick? I do. And my kids simply adore cute little morsels on a stick. Especially sweet treats. Cake pops, popsicles, fudgesicles, lollipops, or just about anything sweet that can be popped on a stick—you name it.

No messy hands, or fuss with plates. They are so much fun to eat, and even more fun to make. 

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the idea of serving kiwifurits on a stick. Chocolate covered kiwi goodness on a stick, that is.

You have probably seem them around before on food blogs, or pinterest.

Last week, when I was having a little fun with these terribly cute treats, I couldn’t help taking some pictures to share with you. Initially, I thought of posting the recipe to my facebook album, Make It Tonight. On second thought, I decided this deserved a blog post. 

Speaking of fb, do check out the recipe for Summer Fruits Frosty on my fb page. Cool, tangy, frosty flavors, with the added bonus of antioxidant from summer fruits, and calcium from yoghurt, and oh it’s scoopable too. With warmer weather on the horizon, this is ideal for a quick breakfast. Here are some pictures for you to see. 

Now back to kiwi pops, or kiwi fondue. 

The recipe is easy breezy. And so much fun to put together—particularly if you are in the mood to play. 

All you need is few slices of kiwifruit, popsicle sticks, melted chocolate and a bit of fat to add more shine to the chocolate coating. For extra personality, decorate each pop with individual toppings like rainbow or heart sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or nonpareils. Or, forget the topping, simply enjoy them with the chocolate coating.

Kiwi slices + Popsicle sticks + Chocolate = Yummy little morsels! Can't go wrong with that. Right?

Serve these gourmet treats for your summer parties—it’s guaranteed to be a hit. All your little peeps will not be able to resist kiwis when served up this adorably. And they taste pretty darn good.

Did you know that kiwifruit is low calorie, nutrient dense, and an excellent source of dietary fiber, and antioxidant vitamins C and E? Combined with potent antioxidants from chocolate, this is a recipe with a feel-good factor—what more delicious way to boost your intake of antioxidants?

For best results, choose ripened, but firm fruit. Place pops on styrofoam blocks to dry. Or better still, use an empty cardboard egg tray to hold the pops while drying.

So, ready to play with your fruit? Then here we go!

Chocolate Covered Kiwis on a Stick—Kiwi Pops, or Kiwi Fondue

Ingredients

Makes 12 pops

Prep time: 10 min, plus drying time

3 ripe, firm kiwis, peeled and sliced into roughly 1-inch rounds with a paring knife

100g chocolate chunks (I used Lindt extra creamy milk chocolate)

1 teaspoon olive oil, or melted butter

Popsicle sticks, lollipop sticks, or candy sticks

Empty cardboard egg tray, or styrofoam block

To decorate

Sprinkles, chopped nuts, nonpareil, shredded coconut, chocolate chips

Directions

In a small, deep, clean (make sure the bowl is moisture free) microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate on high power for 30 seconds, then stir. Melt for another 30 seconds, stir. Repeat until chocolate is fully melted, smooth and shiny (mine was done in 1 minute). Take care not to over cook and burn the chocolate. And yes, use high quality chocolate for best results. Then stir in the fat—olive oil, or melted butter—and mix well.

Meanwhile, insert sticks into the kiwi far enough to hold the fruit without piercing through the other end. Dip the kiwi into the melted chocolate, making sure to coat all sides evenly. Gently swirl to spin off excess chocolate, and hold your hand up with the fruit pointing upwards, for about 2 seconds.

Now it’s time for the finishing touches, if you like. Decorate each pop individually with toppings like rainbow sprinkles, nuts, coconut flakes, colored sugar, chocolate chips, jimmies—let your creative energy flow! To coat the chocolate kiwi with toppings, sprinkling is the best way to go, rolling tends to clump the ingredients.

Insert sticks onto egg tray, or styrofoam block, and leave to dry. This will take about 30 minutes, at room temperature. Chill it in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes to speed up the process. If you leave it in the fridge for long, the cold chocolate will "sweat" once taken out and left at room temperature. Serve immediately to avoid this.

For an impressive presentation, wrap each pop in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

For variations, flavor your chocolate with a drop or two of vanilla extract, or a generous pinch of instant coffee. Also play around with dark chocolate, or even white chocolate, instead of milk chocolate. As for fruit varitions, you can do bananas and strawberries this way.

Mmm, these are so darn cute and delicious!