Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: Deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good…
~ Mariska Hargitay
Imagine, if you would, taking your seat at the table and being handed a nice cup of hot coffee and a little bowl of chocolate pudding topped with freshly made vanilla whipped cream. You slide your spoon into the pudding making sure to add just the right amount of whip cream. Lifting the spoon to your mouth, you feel the cold steel rest gently on your tongue and then the chocolaty goodness spread throughout your mouth. Mmmmmm This you eat slowly, deliberately, savoring each spoonful. This is the seductive pull of chocolate pudding.
*This recipe is adapted from The Joy of Cooking cookbook.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup warm water
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups half and half (¼ cup for mixing with the cornstarch)
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
If you are molding the pudding, have ready 4 oiled 5oz. ramekins. If you are not molding the pudding, you will need a 3 cup bowl.
Mix sugar cocoa and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the warm water and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Once it comes to a boil, take off the heat and add the chopped semisweet chocolate stirring until completely melted.
Stir in the 1 ¾ cups half and half and return pot to the stove and heat on medium heat.
Place cornstarch in a bowl and mix with ¼ cup half and half.
Add the cornstarch mixture to chocolate mixture and heat over medium heat until thickened. Once the mixture has thickened turn heat to low and stir briskly for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla
Pour pudding into molds or bowl. To keep a skin from forming, place plastic wrap directly onto the pudding. Refrigerate for two hours or up to two days.
Unmold chocolate pudding and serve with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
¡Que aproveche!
Classic Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/3 plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped
- 2 cups half and half ¼ cup for mixing with the cornstarch
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- If you are molding the pudding, have ready 4 oiled 5oz. ramekins. If you are not molding the pudding, you will need a 3 cup bowl.
- Mix sugar cocoa and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the warm water and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Once it comes to a boil, take off the heat and add the chopped semisweet chocolate stirring until completely melted.
- Stir in the 1 ¾ cups half and half and return pot to the stove and heat on medium heat.
- Place cornstarch in a bowl and mix with ¼ cup half and half.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to chocolate mixture and heat over medium heat until thickened. Once the mixture has thickened turn heat to low and stir briskly for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla
- Pour pudding into molds or bowl. To keep a skin from forming, place plastic wrap directly onto the pudding. Refrigerate for two hours or up to two days.
- Unmold chocolate pudding and serve with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
- ¡Que aproveche!
I love food! I read cookbooks like they were novels. I get giddy in a farmer’s market. I find a chicken in a pot surrounded by carrots, onion, and celery a thing of beauty. My favorite sound is Mmmmmmmm!
I love chocolate pudding!! I never thought about placing it in molds. What a great presentation. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure! This was my first time putting it in molds, and I just loved how they turned out.
your chocolate pudding looks amazing!
Thanks Tammy Renea for putting Joy of Cooking’s recipe online. Now I don’t have to look in my cookbook, especially if I’m not at home.