Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Robin H. your number was picked! You get a two-pound bag of Mocha Roca Mishaps. I feel like I should apologize. That’s a lot of Roca!

Dishboy Scott introduced this pudding to me. He’s been making it since he was a kid from his favorite dessert book, the 1960 “Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book”. Scott still likes to make this pudding and drizzle it hot over cold vanilla ice cream.

Sometimes we get lucky and he makes this for us. I had no idea hot pudding and ice cream could be so incredible together. But if you like your pudding cold be sure to chill it with a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so a skin doesn’t form.

This old dessert book is a gem in the Better Homes and Gardens collection. I finally found a copy of my own so I can pass these nearly lost recipes to my daughter.

I’m left wondering how advertising conned us into believing pudding came from a box. It must have taken awhile, because this is such an easy dessert. Growing up though, I thought pudding only came from a little box. I’m grateful I know better now.

Chocolate Pudding
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

In saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add vanilla.

Pour into 5 or 6 sherbets; chill. Or pour into individual molds, rinsed with cold water; chill till firm. Unmold in chilled dessert dishes. Serve with cream.

*Or add two 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, cut up, along with milk.

Notes: Directions are from the book, but you can serve this warm as a sauce over vanilla ice cream or you can place it in a bowl and cover and chill with plastic wrap directly touching the pudding so a skin doesn’t form.

Recipe from “Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book”, 1960. Picture by Laura Flowers.


42 comments:

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Yes, there's a huge difference between that boxed stuff and the real thing. Thanks for posting this delicious recipe and great photo. Makes me crave chocolate pudding for breakfast.

Jackie said...

OMG! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM LOL

Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul said...

Congrats to Robin H!
I never considered chocolate pudding out of a box either.
Great to see the real thing !

Anonymous said...

Homemade chocolate pudding: time-tested comfort food. Thanks for a great, simple recipe. Although I will admit that I do love me a good pudding skin! Kelly

Vrinda said...

Delicious and tempting pudding...

Michelle said...

this looks freaking delicious!

Sherri Murphy said...

Makes you want to form a march while holding pickit signs in front of the boxed pudding aisle! Looks scrumptious- easy and delicious. How have they fooled us in to believing a box is better?

I've never tried it over ice cream. One more fattening treat to add to my loooooong list! Thanks.

VegeCooking Club said...

Drooling

CinnamonAndSass said...

Yum! I love pudding but (having also been raised on the boxed pudding theory) really don't care for the artificial aftertaste. Will have to try this on the weekend!

The Old White Barn said...

Even if you didn't like chocolate pudding, this photo would make you do crazy things to get it! Excellent.
Susan

Unknown said...

Oh, this looks and sounds delectable! Yum!!!

Memória said...

I've yet to make chocolate pudding!! I've never heard of putting hot pudding on ice cream. Wow. I must try this out!! Thanks for posting this, Laura!!

Namitha said...

Laura, This is one of the most tempting pudding pics I've ever seen :-)

Federica Simoni said...

ciao!! devo gustarmi la foto meravigliosa..sei troppo lontana per arrivare in tempo!!! baci!!

Maria said...

I've never made pudding, I don't know why. Thanks for the reminder. It looks delicious!

Mimi said...

Congrats to Robin. Lately, every time we leave our son home alone he makes chocolate pudding. His recipe uses egg yolks and I'm left with a bowl of egg whites(he then begs for coconut macaroons). I'm printing this recipe out for him.
Mimi

Sue said...

Laura, I have never thought of eating pudding when it's hot, but I'm willing to try it, especially over ice cream:) I remember as a kid, that my mom's pudding always had a skin, but I didn't know any better:)
The pudding photo really makes me want to make a chocolate cream pie!

Southern Cookbook said...

Yes there is a "HUGE" difference between the box stuff and homemade. The homemade is so much better. I love this stuff and it is so easy to make. Beautiful photo like always :)
~Southern Cookbook

Sook said...

Wow, homemade chocolate pudding! That sounds terrific!!

Sushma Mallya said...

wow looks fantastic and yummy...

Parita said...

Wow thats so easy and luscious pudding!

shaz said...

Mmmm..chocolate! That looks amazing! And sounds pretty easy too, double win! And congrats to Robin H :)

Lo said...

Oh, gosh. Anyone who has had REAL, homemade pudding wouldn't go back to that box. Ever! :)

The hot pudding and icecream combo sounds fantastic... a bit like those volcanic pudding cakes my mom made when I was a kid!

Chef E said...

This reminds me of my mom...she used to just fly in a 'I am making something sweet mood' and you never knew, but when the milk came out in the big pot...we knew...Pudding!

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Yummo! Looks even easier than my egg yolk version.

:)
ButterYum

bridget {bake at 350} said...

Oh, geez, Laura!!! That looks sensational!

Anonymous said...

Yum :) Although you may be wondering when advertising made us think pudding came out of a box, I'm wondering when and why cooks eschewed eggs and a teeny bit of flour for blech-cornstarch. Eggs are the superior pudding-maker-thickener.

The Cooking Photographer said...

Good point. Maybe when cornstarch was able to be used as a thickener when eggs were expensive in winter?

Eggs are better, no doubt, but this is good too.

2 Stews said...

Just like brownies and cakes, I always wonder why people make pudding from a box. It's just not that hard to do any of it. Sometimes I laugh when a box asks for most of the ingredients that a "from scratch" recipe calls for....so then what is the point?!

Thanks for the reminder and recipe...looks great!

Diane

Kathleen said...

There is nothing better than homemade pudding. Box pudding is a crime against humanity!!!!!!!!!!

Velva said...

The chcoloate pudding looks wonderful. Really, pudding with your ice cream? I definitely have to try that, sounds sinful. Delicious.

Diana's Cocina said...

I'm drooling for this chocolate pudding!

Amber said...

I've decided it's unhealthy to visit your blog! ;)
This looks to-die-for!!!

Cary said...

according to this article in the ny times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/dining/23appetite.html

americans started using cornstarch instead of eggs after someone came up with it as a replacement for someone with an egg allergy. it is much quicker to use cornstarch and became the tradition here. the first boxed pudding was made in 1918. i just happened to read this article and then saw yours when researching pudding recipes:)

Unknown said...

do you know what would be really super good with this? those almond roca mishapes!!! I'll have to go through my old Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. The one I have use to be my husbands mothers. :)

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

What a classic! I only learned late in college that making pudding was so so easy. Even if you go with a richer egg version, it's not that tough and way healthier than getting the chemicals in a box. This looks soul-satisfying for real.

princessapr said...

I made this last night and it never pudding'd. I may have to eat as a syrup. It tastes good, but it's still liquid after chilling overnight. I'll check on it after work. *sigh* Looks like I'll be sticking to appetizers and side dishes. I just wasn't meant to do desserts.

The Cooking Photographer said...

I'm sorry April! You can do this one though. You can. :)

Try turning up the heat on your stove until the pudding comes to a good simmer. Then cook for a couple minutes more. You have to stir the whole time through this.

The cornstarch might just really need to come to a good simmer before it works as a thickener.

I hope you'll try again. This one you really can do.

Laura

princessapr said...

I haven't quite given up yet. Luckily, it's made with pantry items and doesn't take long so I may whip up another batch tonight and see what happens.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Anonymous said...

SO GLAD i found your site! I specifically did a search for this recipe and your blog came up! Tried it today and ate almost the whole thing to myself! thanks!

The Cooking Photographer said...

I'm so glad you liked the pudding!

Laura

Anonymous said...

This pudding taste great. I have made it 3 times. The last time I made it I doubled it! Thanks for the recipe.

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