Homemade Chocolate Pudding – Delicious!

When my grandma died last year she took most of her recipes with her. I wasn’t smart enough to compile a collection of them and since she didn’t write them down, many of them went to the grave with her. She was not much of a recipe follower anyway. She knew exactly what to add and how much of it she needed. Once while I was visiting her she asked if my son would like some pudding.  I said yes, assuming she had instant pudding on hand. She looked through her cupboards and when she found she had none, she turned to her stove and went to work making pudding from scratch. I remember watching her in amazement as she worked effortlessly and without hesitation to whip up homemade vanilla pudding from memory. I wish I had her recipe for that but I don’t. What I do have is her recipe for homemade chocolate pudding and I share that with you today.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

• 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
• 2 cups milk (see notes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place all dry ingredients together in a saucepan and mix until combined.
2. Very slowly add in the milk stirring the whole time.
3. Cook over medium heat while stirring slowly and constantly until mixture thickens and starts to boil. Let the pudding boil for 30-45 seconds while you stir.
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Pour pudding into 3 or 4 dessert cups.
6. Chill for 4-5 hours or eat warm (I rarely eat this cold. I love to eat it hot.  It is like pure magic.)

Notes

• The instant coffee is not from my grandma’s recipe, but it really brings out the chocolate flavor.
• I use 2% milk, but have also had success with almond milk and soy milk.
• Reduce the milk to 1 1/2 cups if using as pie filling.
• You may have to stir for a while – it is worth the effort.
• If you cool the pudding, place plastic wrap right on top of it to avoid getting a pudding skin (unless you like that).

Yummy!  I hope you love this homemade chocolate pudding recipe.  Feel free to make it your own by adding peppermint extract, peanut butter chips, or whatever you like.  (Isn’t that much better than all the additives in boxed pudding mix?) Please let me know if you try this recipe. Feel free to leave a comment. Share and let’s talk about it.