1. Prepare Your Workspace (Mise en Place):

• This is a quick recipe, so prepare everything first! Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place it in the freezer to get it very cold.
• Have your ice pop sticks and all other ingredients ready and within reach.

2. Make the Homemade Magic Shell:

• Combine the chopped semisweet chocolate, refined coconut oil, and optional vanilla extract and pinch of salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
• Microwave in 15-second increments, stirring with a spoon or spatula in between each interval, until the chocolate is about three-quarters of the way melted.
• Remove the bowl from the microwave and continue to stir the mixture until the residual heat melts the remaining chocolate completely and the shell is smooth and glossy. Set it aside briefly (if it’s very hot, let it cool for a minute or two, but it should remain very fluid).

3. Prepare the Ice Cream Pops:

• Remove one pint of ice cream from the freezer. Discard the lid.
• Using a sharp serrated knife, carefully trim a very thin slice from the side of the cardboard container. This creates a flat surface so the pint can rest securely on its side on a cutting board without rolling.
• With the container now lying on its side, carefully slice it crosswise into 3 equal, thick rounds, cutting right through the cardboard.
• Gently peel or tear the cardboard container away from each ice cream round.
• Carefully insert a wooden ice pop stick through the cut side of each ice cream disk, pushing it about halfway through.

4. Dip the Pops:

• Working quickly, one pop at a time, dip each ice cream pop into the bowl of melted chocolate shell, turning to coat all sides completely.
• Allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. The shell will begin to harden almost instantly.
• Immediately lay the chocolate-dipped pop flat on the chilled parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer.
• Repeat the process quickly with the remaining two pops from the first pint, and then with the second pint of ice cream.

5. Freeze and Serve:

• Let the finished pops harden in the freezer for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Serve them immediately and enjoy the satisfying crackle and creamy interior!
• For longer storage, wrap each individually frozen solid pop in plastic wrap and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.