Sometimes I just need the comfort of pudding to make things right in my world. There is something about the smooth texture, slight chill and sweet chocolate goodness that can ease anything from extracted wisdom teeth to a broken heart. It can even ease the pain of a crazy concoction your Mom may have tried to pass off as dinner.
I would say that this pudding is also comforting because it’s the way Mom used to make… but my Mom never actually made pudding. It’s fine really, no hard feelings! I have oodles of love for my Mom. Hot dog casserole was more her kitchen niche. And even that sometimes turned out purple. I think the purple had something to do with cabbage, which is totally bad news. As if hot dog casserole isn’t bad enough news. Oh Mom. She’ll never live down that tragic dinner.
Now, back to the chocolate!
This pudding is a breeze to make! I toasted some marshmallow on top of mine before I dug in to eat. The oh so slight crunch of the toasted marshmallow was perfect on top of the smooth chocolate. So yummy!
Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
Gourmet Cookbook
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 cups whole milk
1 large egg
4 ounces good semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and boil, whisking, until pudding is thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Immediately beat eggs lightly in a medium heat proof bowl, then very gradually add hot pudding to the egg, whisking constantly. Whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
Pour pudding into ramekins or custard cups and cover surface each with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate, covered, until cool, at least 2 hours.
Serve pudding with toasted marshmallows or whipped cream!
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Your poor mom. I have a few of those “memorable” dishes that I’m never going to live down – peas, meatloaf and gagging seem to all be in the same sentence.
The pudding looks yummy
Lovely! I adore chocolate pudding and have fond memories of stirring 8′s in a pan of jello (never instant) pudding. I hadn’t thought of making it myself until recently and now I am searching for that perfect recipe! Can’t wait to try this!
The marshmallow topping is a nice addition to an luscious dessert. I used to make the boxed instant pudding but now that I am a big girl, it’s homemade :)
Sounds simply sinful! I am laughing at your description of the hot dog casserole. I have to admit it’s kind of making my stomach turn so early on a Monday morning. =-) At least now I don’t feel so bad for some of my kitchen disasters over the years.
Looks fantastic! I love the addition of marshmallows on top – how yummy!
Oh, that looks so good with the toasted marshmallow on top!
Mmmm… sounds so yummy. I was always more of a “cream” pie girl growing up and chocolate pudding pies were always my favorite. As for the hot dog casserole, just to make your mom feel slightly better – my dad made baked potatoes with scrambled eggs and tomato soup on top. Seriously.
Forget the campfire. A box of graham crackers and a giant troph of this pudding and I am in comfort food heaven. Now I can achieve this state of mind in while sitting on my couch. This could produce dangerous results!
There is such comfort in a pudding – I gravitate towards the rice variety, not being a chocolate fan, but I love the idea of the toasted marshmallow. I wonder if it would be possible to do a graham-cracker crust under the puddings for a mini-pie…
Wow- that looks so good. I wish I had a spoon to dig right in!
Joy, this is just what I needed right now to make my day much better!
This looks so good! I just made some chocolate pudding that did not turn out at all. I definitely will give your recipe a try. Thanks!
Mmmmm. Chocolate pudding for me brings back memories of my Mom making it. She made the boxed Jello kind… but at least it was the cooking kind and not the instant! I’ll have a bite please!
This looks awesome, and it’s true – chocolate can heal (or really really help with) almost anything!
Thanks a lot for this! I’ve never made pudding myself before, except for the instant powder stuff. Inspired by your post, I tried it, and it’s really a breeze! It’s cheaper than the stuff you buy, doesn’t take longer than the powder, and imagine all the things you can do with it!
I want to try the recipe with vanilla and white chocolate, with roasted almonds, with nougat and milk chocolate, with dulce the leche and/or caramel sauce, with dark chocolate and chili, with chocolate and Grand Manier…
That chocolate pudding looks good. I like the idea of toasting marshmallow on top!
I never thought of putting marshmallow on my pudding. So glad you came along to show the marshmallow pudding way! :) Yummy!
I haven’t had pudding in years and have never made it myself, but I always loved it and now I wonder how I’d forgotten about it for so long. Chocolate is definitely the best of flavors and this looks awesome–the toasted marshmallows also sound like the perfect garnish to pair with such a comforting dessert.
Also, rofl at the purple hotdog casserole story!
You’ve been given an “Excellent Blog Award”. See Whisk: a food blog for more information. Congratulations!
I’m a fan of homemade pudding, having just made it for the first time this year! I like that your recipe calls for non-Dutch process cocoa, as I have a very nice can of Scharffen-Berger in my pantry!
A question….. I hope I get an answer from you soon.
Only recently have I started my obsession with chocolate pudding. The thing I seem to struggle the most with is cooking the cornstarch, sugar, and cocoa in a saucepan before adding the wet ingredients. WHY is this? What I usually do is just blend it all up, heat it, then put it in the fridge. What do you think?
I’ve made lots of pudding recipes for the kids and they all taste good; this one was awesome – they licked the bowl and then asked for more. Thanks!