Dark Chocolate Pudding

I LOVE dark chocolate.  I know some people prefer milk chocolate (though I'm not sure why).  I made this dark chocolate pudding last week and it was SO good I had to share.  If you don't like dark chocolate, you can adapt it.  What's so great about this, is that it's homemade...  no artificial ingredients or chemical additives, not to mention a whole lot less sugar, and fat,  than the store varieties.  If you have a real sweet tooth, you can increase the sugar if you like, but the dark chocolate and slightly less sweetness makes this a more grown up and sophisticated dessert.

You'll need milk (I use 1% but you can use whatever you like), water, vanilla, beaten eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and Hershey's special dark cocoa powder (or regular if you don't like it so dark).  

You'll want to sift the cocoa powder through a small sieve to help it mix smoother later on.

Start by pouring the milk into a medium sized pan.

Then add the sugar,

and the cornstarch.

Whisk it all together really well and turn the heat on to medium.  

Let it simmer, but watch it carefully and whisk it often to make sure it stays well mixed and doesn't stick to the bottom where it can burn.  As it gets hot, the mixture will begin to thicken.

Meanwhile, you can add the sifted cocoa powder to the warm water and whisk well.

It's a little resistant to mixing at first, but just keep whisking....

and it'll all come together in a wonderful puddle of dark chocolate goodness.

It's time to add the beaten eggs....   but you can just dump them in or you'll have scrambled eggs, not pudding.  The eggs need to be tempered, which just means slowly warmed up.  Take about 1/2 a cup of the warm, thickened milk and add to the bowl of eggs.  

Whisk it together, then add another 1/2 cup of thickened milk.  Now, the eggs are warmed up.

Pour the egg mixture slowly into the pan and whisk well over medium low heat for just a minute or two.

When it starts to bubble, it will thicken even more to a nice, creamy texture....  like pudding.  Now add the vanilla, and you have boring vanilla pudding.....

Until you add the cocoa mixture and the magic begins!

Mix it all together until the chocolate is fully incorporated 

and it's a delicious pot full of dark chocolate pudding.


It's not done though!  I know, I know...   the temptation to take a big straw and just suck the hot pudding up like a milkshake is overwhelming.....   but it's HOT and I don't want you to burn your mouth.  So....

Put your pudding into a glass bowl, and put some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding.  This will keep it from forming an icky looking "skin" on top as it cools.

Put it just like this into the fridge and wait a couple of hours (or as long as you can) for it to cool and thicken even more.

Then grab a dish and a BIG spoon and dig in!  There's nothing so comforting on a chilly fall night as a dish of dark chocolate pudding (still a tad warm because you couldn't wait any longer).




Dark Chocolate Pudding


6T sugar
4 cups milk
6T cornstarch
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Hershey's dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup warm water


Sift cocoa powder and set aside. Pour milk, sugar, and cornstarch into a medium saucepan and heat on medium.  Stir often with a whisk.  Meanwhile, add cocoa powder to the hot water and whisk until smooth and creamy.  When the milk is thickened and bubbly, remove from heat.  Take 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture and blend into beaten eggs to temper.  Add another 1/2 cup of milk mixture and blend well.  Slowly pour warmed egg mixture into the pan and stir well.  Return to medium low heat and whisk until it bubbles and thickens more.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and cocoa and blend well.  


Pour pudding into glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding.  Let cool in the fridge for until thickened and just slightly warm.