The Easiest & Best Chocolate Pudding

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches


When I think of chocolate pudding I think of Cosby sweaters. And I think of those twirling dessert trays from old school diners that always stocked cubes of green jello and chocolate pudding with a little splurt of whipped cream on top. But in terms of personal history, me and pudding aren't that close. My mom went through a pudding-from-a-box phase, but it didn't last and I wasn't swayed.


My husband, on the other hand, is very happy to eat a bowl of pudding...or four. So when I spied this simple chocolate pudding recipe, I thought I'd make him a special treat.

The thing with this recipe is that it's really easy to make and it takes wonderfully to endless variations. Want to make this vegan? Easy! Just use almond milk (or your non-dairy milk of your choice) and some vegan chocolate and you're ready. How about a chocolate-mint pudding? Add in 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract and use mint chocolate chips for a double mint whammy.


The Easiest & Best Chocolate Pudding
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1/4 c cornstarch
1/3 c sugar
1/8 t kosher salt
3 c milk
6 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
pinch kosher salt

In a large heavy pot, stir together the cornstarch, sugar and salt until well blended. Slowly whisk in the milk over medium heat. Keep whisking until the milk thickens, about 10 minutes. You may need to raise the heat a tad if you aren’t getting much thickening action (but be cautious).

When the mixture is thick, vigorously whisk in the chocolate chips and vanilla until dissolved and well blended. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and give the mix a final stir. Pour into a large measuring cup or batter bowl and then pour pudding into small, individual sized dishes or ramekins.

Cover tops with parchment paper circles or plastic wrap – letting the paper touch the pudding to prevent the ailment known as “pudding skin”. If pudding skin is your thing, then just cover the bowls without touching the pudding & let that skin grow. Cool for a few minutes and then refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. Pudding should keep for a few days (good luck with that).

Jan Halvarson

9 comments:

Unknown said...

this looks very yummy, I love chocolate pudding!
and I never put paper on top because the skin is the best... sometimes I try to cheat and eat a bit of the skin to get new one :)

gfs said...

ooo yum and gluten free to boot!

SoOhCliché said...

This looks terribly yummy ! I must try it out as soon as I figure out all the ingredients in French :)

Anna said...

This looks great! I wonder how it would be with coconut milk? I'm going to try it out and see :)

ElisabethSpace said...

The prospect of homemade pudding excites me to the Nth degree! Thanks for sharing this easy recipe.

Beth said...

Yum! My husband & I have been on a huge pudding kick lately. Will have to try this recipe!

karen said...

wait.. did you say cosby sweaters?

because then, you MUST see this.... the five greatest cosby sweaters of all time... it's eye candy!

Joanne said...

Chocolate pudding, rice pudding, vanilla pudding, tapioca pudding...memories of my youth. I've never made homemade pudding aside from the instant J-ello pudding where you warm the milk and stir in the powder. This must smell and taste 100 times better!

GALaxy said...

I just made this (with evaporated milk in place of 1 cup of the regular milk) and it's so good, I kinda want to stand over the pot and eat it straight from there. I was actually planning on making a pie out of it, but gosh. I really don't know if it's going to make it into the crust. Thanks for yet another perfect recipe!