It’s easy, I promise. And so delicious!
We spent so many childhood afternoons sitting at the counter in Grandma’s kitchen, savoring the chocolatey comfort of a bowl of homemade pudding. We loved it then, and we love it now. Chocolate pudding certainly ain’t fancy, but it’s indulgent without being fussy. It’s dense, but velvety at the same time. It’s simple, but it will cure any chocolate craving. It’s love in a bowl. And that’s hard to beat.
It may be easy to reach for that little box of instant stuff to whisk up some pudding, and some days that might suffice just fine, but there’s nothing like the creamy, dreamy homemade version. Our recipe relies on both egg yolks and cornstarch to give it a little bit more of a silky, custardy feel. The ingredients are whisked up simply in a double boiler; we promise it’s a breeze to make. And the texture and deep chocolate flavor are absolutely heavenly.
Serves 4-6 | 15 minutes active | 2 hours inactive
INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole milk
1 (6 oz.) bar dark chocolate, finely chopped
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
whipped cream, to garnish
PREPARATION
Set up a double-boiler by placing a heat-proof bowl over a simmering pot of water.
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top bowl, then whisk in milk and add in chocolate and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until chocolate is fully melted.
Continue stirring until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and pour roughly 1/4 cup hot pudding mixture into bowl with beaten eggs and whisk vigorously to temper eggs. (This raises the temperature of the eggs so they don’t curdle or scramble when you add them to the pudding mixture.)
While stirring continuously, pour tempered eggs into pudding mixture and cook for another 2 minutes, then stir in vanilla extract and butter.
Remove from heat and top with plastic wrap, making sure to press plastic wrap firmly against surface of pudding to avoid a film from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled.
