Pudding is comfort food, and in this case it’s delicious, chocolatey and super easy to make. A small amount of this pudding goes a long way because it’s so rich. Normally, I’d serve the chocolate pudding with some lightly sweetened whipped cream but since I was making it for my munchkins, I didn’t bother. My 6-year-old exclaimed after eating a few bites, “Mommy, how did you make pudding so good?” Priceless! I told him I was magic.

I altered the recipe just a tad based on a few reviews I read about it on the epicurious.com website. I reduced the cornstarch to 1.5 tablespoons and used 1 cup of half & half and 1 cup of 2% milk. The pudding was thick enough without being too thick and had a nice, silky texture. If you substitute semi-sweet chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate, reduce the sugar a bit (bittersweet has less sugar). Serve as is or garnished with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pudding
-recipe from epicurious.com

It’s the extra chocolate that enriches and elevates this dessert from the simple to the sublime. And it takes about 2 minutes longer to prepare than pudding from a boxed mix. What a difference 2 minutes makes. Makes 6 servings.

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch (I used 1.5 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups light cream
3 ounces chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of the cream until smooth, then whisk in the remaining 1 cup cream. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to whisk and boil for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla. Let stand for 5 minutes until the chocolate is melted, then stir gently until the pudding is smooth. (Do not stir too much or the pudding might thin out.)

Divide the pudding among 6 small dessert dishes. Let cool for about 20 minutes to serve warm and soft, or chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Mothers’ Little Helpers
June 1999
by Melanie Barnard

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Tags: bittersweet chocolate, cornstarch, double chocolate pudding, half & half, light cream, milk, sugar, unsweetened cocoa