Yes, chocolate pudding again. It’s easy to make, and it’s nice and chocolaty, which is all I really want right now.

Funny thing is a never got excited about chocolate pudding as a child. Possibly because the only pudding I ever got was out of a box, which just isn’t inspiring. And Brian like butterscotch pudding, which is nasty. (Second only to butterscotch ice cream.) The problem with butterscotch is that it never tasted like butter rum.

But homemade chocolate pudding is different. I know what ingredients go in it: cocoa, salt, corn starch, sugar, milk, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla. (I use Mexican vanilla here, not the Madagascar bourbon vanilla).

Yea, I suppose I could be accused of being a food snob, but my feeling is that if I’m going to eat empty calories, then I should be making it worth my while and eat something that tastes really good, instead of sweets for the sake of eating sweets.

But it’s also comforting, and I need comfort right now. Work has been very busy and very tiring, and most days I don’t want to do anything more than collapse and let my brain zone out. Comfort is what I need, and chocolate pudding hits the spot.

The pudding is the consistency of chocolate milk before it’s heated, but even when I don’t see it boiling (because I’m stirring constantly) there is a noticeable shift when it thickens.

Poured into the bowls and waiting to be cooled and eaten.

Mmm…. chocolate pudding.

I don’t care if I’ve posted about chocolate pudding before. I think I’m fighting off a cold, and I want chocolate pudding, and I don’t feel like writing about anything else.

This pudding is rich and creamy and I like to mellow it down a bit with fresh whipped cream, but it’s good without it (I just have a hard time eating an entire ramekin of it.)

Chocolate Pudding
2/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups milk (not skim)
2 tbsp butter (if using low fat milk)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I like to use Mexican vanilla)

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. Add a small amount of milk, and stir until all the the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the milk. Slowly add the remaining milk, stirring carefully. (Switch to using a spoon from here on out.)

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly and making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. After the mixture has boiled for a few minutes it will thicken a bit. Remove from heat, and immediately add the bittersweet chocolate and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate is melted.


The author recommends putting the pudding through a sieve. I don’t bother, I just divide it into ramekins, cover the ramekins, and put them in the fridge.

From The All-American Dessert Book by Nancy Baggett. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It’s got gorgeous pictures and I’ve loved every recipe I’ve tried.