Milk Chocolate Pudding
ShareHomemade creamy milk chocolate pudding, topped off with fresh sweetened whipped cream.
Let’s discuss chocolate memories, specifically pudding. I’m suddenly having flashbacks to Bill Cosby commercials and of course The Cosby Show. Jell-O did a good job casting him. We’re talking pudding so it makes sense. Just go with it. And now I’m in the mood to go make Jell-O jigglers because for whatever reason, I never made those as a child. I’m sure I wasn’t missing out. I did have my fair share of fruity flavored Jell-O though…something I still need to introduce to my own children. I think it’s a childhood rite of passage. See how I got sidetracked there? Chocolate > pudding > Bill Cosby > Jell-O jigglers > regular Jell-O and now we’re back to pudding.
I’ve loved pudding for as long as I can remember. I was probably even one of those kids that begged to have pudding packs for my school lunches. And then I’d of course remember there were some in the fridge and eat them before I could take them to school. I’m positive I’d do the same thing now, and my restraint is just as bad as it was back then. Being at home, I’d hear the pudding calling me from the fridge at all hours and be tempted too much so clearly we can’t have those on hand.
Anyway… so forget the pudding packs, we’re talking real homemade from scratch creamy and delicious kind of pudding. Not the little box of pudding powder mix like I grew up with either. I still remember the exact glasses my mom always used for pudding. They seemed like the fancy glasses. Isn’t it strange the random things we remember from growing up? My worst pudding memory was the skin. Thick skin would form on top of the freshly made pudding because we never covered them after filling the glasses. Gross. I can’t handle that. I’d always spoon that off and at the rest.
Of course the other big change now is that I totally prefer it cold vs warm and with a giant dollop of whipped cream. A strawberry wouldn’t hurt either. But in a pinch sprinkles are a totally acceptable substitution. They’re kind of a requirement around here actually, for a lot of desserts… cupcakes, cake, ice cream and clearly pudding. Sprinkles are like bacon, they make everything better.
Is it just me or is pudding one of those things you feel obligated to lick every last speck of? Like it’s a sin to waste and can’t let a drop of delicious creamy chocolate be rinsed down the drain. There is something completely wrong with that possibility.
Forget the boxes, mixes and little plastic tubs… this is a delicious and easy homemade option! Creamy milk chocolate pudding in minutes! (okay or a tad longer if you like it chilled) ;)
Milk Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 C granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 C heavy cream
- 2 C milk
- 7 oz milk chocolate
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
- In a second medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cream.
- In a medium/large saucepan over medium heat milk until just nearly boiling. Remove from heat, pouring roughly half of the milk into cream mixture, whisking as you pour. Add dry ingredients, whisking well.
- Pour cocoa mixture into remaining milk. Cook 1 minute over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat, add milk chocolate pieces and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Transfer to serving dishes or a large bowl. Serve warm or cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Serve with optional sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
Try these other chocolate recipes:
- Marbled chocolate banana bread
- Fudgesicles
- Mexican hot chocolate cookies
- World peace cookies
- Guinness and Bailey’s cupcakes
- Chocolate chip cookie brownie bars
The recipe calls for heavy cream to be mixed with the cornstarch – if I use half ‘m half, will it have the same thickness (consistency)?
Since half and half has half the butterfat of heavy cream, the taste will be slightly different and it will likely be a bit thinner but shouldn’t be a huge deal. Just be aware of those possibilities. I interchange dairy products all the time depending on what I happen to have on hand.
It’s really cool to find a recipe on how to make pudding at home using NORMAL (unprocessed) ingredients. I could never get myself to bring the pudding, no matter how much I loved it. I guess I was one of “those” kids!
I love how this pudding was styled!!
Thanks Elizabeth! :)
Oh my gaahh, the sprinkles! This looks so delicious and decadent, Rachel. Wonderful dessert for life’s elegant little occasions!
Looking forward to making this for my husband. I also appreciate the use of unprocessed ingredients in recipes.
When it’s this easy there is no reason to ever use box mix :) I hope you enjoy it!
I’m a total weirdo and don’t actually dig pudding all that much but Shane loves it so he’d be all about this! I’ll just eat the sprinkles and whipped cream for him :)
Whipped cream with a side of sprinkles for sure! ;)
Yummy! I would love to have a bowl of HOMEMADE PUDDING right now!!!
Yuuuuum! It looks rich and delicious!
You had me at homemade! Yum, Rach!
mmm this totally reminds me of those jello pudding cups – i cannot control myself with those. it’s disgusting. i like lick those clean. now i want to make these so i can have an infinite amount of it!
My dad made instant pudding at least once a week when we were kids! He whips it up for my kids every now and then and it always makes me smile!
This version looks extra fabulous!
The only bright side to getting my wisdom teeth pulled was the copious amounts of chocolate pudding I ate. Omg, it was heaven! I prefer homemade chocolate pudding vs store bought. There are so many chemicals in those powders, it just isn’t worth it to me. Lovely recipe!
So how bad is it that a few years ago for Halloween, two of my friends were Jello cups and I was a box of pistachio pudding, and my other girlfriend was Bill Cosby?
This is perfect! I was always a sucker for the pudding cups when I was a kid. I’ve been craving some pudding lately too, but couldn’t bare to break out the boxed kind. This recipe is definitely a must make! :D
Yum! I love homemade pudding. My only problem is that when I make it I want to eat the whole pan while it’s still warm. I almost never get to the part where I can top with whipped cream and sprinkles to make it pretty…haha.
My husband would inhale these.
All I can think of now is “where’s my snack pack?!?” from Billy Madison. I may have watched that movie waaaaaaaaay to many times growing up =/ And clearly I have the same mind trails as you. Either way, this pudding looks much better than store bought kind. Im on board :)
How fun are these?! LOVE!
Pass over a spoon and a glass of milk. This sounds perfect for an afternoon pick me up!
I never made jello jigglers growing up – we were so deprived! ;-) And this pudding looks SO good – i loved pudding as a kiddo and I still love it now. YUM!
I LOVE homemade pudding!! Rachel, this looks beyond amazing right now. And the sprinkles, well I obviously love them. Nice touch. ;)
This is dreamy and perfectly homemade! I love it! And obviously I adore the sprinkles :)
Homemade pudding is the best! I’m not a skin lover either, and I always cover the pudding with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent the skin from forming. Sometimes I’ll even make little pudding pies. Yours looks lovely!
Pudding and jello are still two of my favorite desserts. I think it’s a generational thing. Today’s kids have so many choices and tend to grimace at them (at least mine do) but back in the day, there wasn’t as much so we loved jello and/or pudding and I will be making this for dessert soon. Maybe my kids will continue to grimace and I can eat it all by myself hehe
This looks so creamy and rich and delicious! I’ve always loved the chocolate pudding cups, but I totally need to make my own!
how have I never made pudding from scratch before?!?!?! must make.
BTW- jigglers are my favorite!
I made this on Thursday evening, I was so worried when I saw what the cornflour and cream mixture turned into, I thought I’d destroyed it, but it was all fine and the end result is so amazingly delicious that I think I’ve found a future regular dinner party dessert :D Thanks, Rachel!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. :)
I made this recipe this morning, using 7 oz. of milk chocolate from an Easter bunny, and substituting evaporated milk for the cream. It was delicious, and an excellent way to use up mediocre Easter chocolate.
What a fun way to use up holiday candy! So glad you enjoyed it! :)