Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate, Desserts, Tuesdays with Dorie / Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Pudding 2

My dad has a theory about marriage: that if you can survive being sick, hanging wallpaper, and moving  together, you’re good. So far, Jeff and I have survived each of us being sick and adopted a staunch no-wallpaper policy. Tonight, we are loading the truck to start our first move together. He’s painstakingly breaking down all of his office equipment, which he will then arrange in the truck with Tetris-worthy precision. I’m packing up the bathroom, because I’M NOT READY to pack up the kitchen yet.

Towels? Whatever. I need my food processor.

This begs the question, how am I keeping my husband from strangling a bounty such as myself? It’s all about those three little words: Homemade Chocolate Pudding.

Right now, I have six ramekins of impossibly creamy, rich chocolate pudding to buy Jeff’s good will while I procrastinate. Make that five ramekins. Four? It is good, and those ramekins are small.

What makes this chocolate pudding so good? First, you can’t go wrong with any combination of whole milk, sugar, butter, vanilla, and chocolate. Second, you mix the pudding in your food processor, which makes it incredibly smooth. And finally, you chill the pudding for at least four hours before you eat it. Four. Hours. When you take that first bite, you might wonder what all the fuss is about, but this is a dessert that’s meant to be savored. Slow down, and the chocolate will become more pronounced.

After the first two ramekins, Jeff had this idea that the pudding would be even better with something crunchy over the top, so I baked a batch of thin Lace Cookies and sandwiched them together with melted chocolate. If you’ve never baked lace cookies, let me warn you that the secret ingredient is PROFANITY. You won’t get a decent batch until you’ve cursed. A lot. So, stay very close to the oven, and when you can smell the cookies, PULL THOSE #*%^&*$ OUT!

If we had a little more time at this house, I would make the pudding again and try it as a chocolate pie filling. But it’s time to pack the food processor. And the Kitchen-Aid. And say goodbye to our first home. I’m sure the next one will be filled with even more good times. And absolutely no wallpaper.

Chocolate Pudding

From Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

Makes 6 servings

  • 2 ¼ cups whole milk
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and still warm
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Have six ramekins or pudding cups, each holding 4 to 6 ounces, at hand.
  2. Bring 2 cups of the milk and 3 tablespoons of the sugar to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
  3. While the milk is heating, put the cocoa, cornstarch and salt into a food processor and whir to blend. Turn them out onto a piece of wax paper, put the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the egg and egg yolks into the processor and blend for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining ¼ cup milk and pulse just to mix, then add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times to blend.
  4. With the machine running, very slowly pour in the hot milk mixture. Process for a few seconds, then put everything back into the saucepan. Whisk without stopping over medium heat – making sure to get into the edges of the pan – until the pudding thickens and a couple of bubbles burble up to the surface and pop (about 2 minutes). You want the pudding to thicken, but you don’t want it to boil, so lower the heat if necessary.
  5. Scrape the pudding back into the processor (if there’s a scorched spot, avoid it as you scrape) and pulse a couple of times. Add the chocolate, butter and vanilla and pulse until everything is evenly blended.
  6. Pour the pudding into the ramekins. If you don’t want a skin to form (some people think the skin is the best part), press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of each pudding to create an airtight seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Lace Cookies

From John Scharffenberger and Robert Steenberg’s “Essence of Chocolate”

Makes about 20 sandwich cookies

  • 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
  • 1/3 cup (generous 2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon dark rum
  • 2 ounces 82% extra dark chocolate, melted and still warm (but you can use any chocolate you like)
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the butter, cream, corn syrup, vanilla, and rum. Stir until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.
  4. Drop about 3/4 of a teaspoon of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Make the cookies as close in size as possible. Place only 12 cookies on each baking sheet (four rows of three), as they will spread considerably.
  5. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating once halfway through the baking. Remove from the oven and let stand on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes. If any of the cookies have run together, cut them apart, then transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.
  6. Choose 2 cookies that are similar in shape. Drizzle the bottom of one cookie with melted chocolate and spread with a small offset spatula. Sandwich with the second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Storing: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Pudding 1

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61 thoughts on “Chocolate Pudding”

  3. Oh wow! You’ve found the secret! Profanity is what makes a good lace cookie isn’t it? Great work there!

  4. LOL at the wallpaper. The only advice my parents ever gave me about marriage was to NEVER wallpaper together. :)
    Great concept. I thought about making a little chocolate crinkle to go with mine but didn’t dare turn on my oven.

  5. That cookie looks like it would be great with the pudding. Thanks for the tip on the secret ingredient! ;o) Good luck with your move.

  6. If you can survive a move, you can survive anything…but back to that pudding and those amazing-looking cookies! What a way to procrastinate. And for the record, you are supposed to chill for 4 hours…but 4 minutes is acceptable (in my house anyway).

  7. I love lace cookies, and they sound like a wonderful add. I’m glad the pudding went to a good cause too :)

  8. Wow, those lace cookies look like they’d be good with coffee!

    And Master Chow and I also have a strict “no wallpaper” policy. To your dad’s list I would add: traveling/going on vacation together, which everyone should do BEFORE they get married.

  9. Ohhhhhhhhhh wow. Those lace cookies look amazing!!! They are perfect! Are they hard to make? By the sounds of the need for profanity (my specialty), it sounds that way! But you make it look so easy!

  11. As usual, I am laughing and giggling over here at your post…always a fun read. Moving…are you kidding…you are making your entry and MOVING???? Kudos to you. Happy wishes for your new home…and may many wonderful dishes come from that kitchen! Your cookies are a great addition to the pudding…that would go over really big around here with my guys, too…both crunchy and chocolaty. Thanks for sharing.

  12. you might be a genius with the addition of lace cookies to the pudding. can i come over for some pudding? ;)

  18. So funny. Those cookies look like the perfect addition to the pudding. Good luck with your move!

    I hated moving my kitchen last time we moved… and the very first box I unpacked was the KitchenAid!

  20. I dont think I’ve ever had a lace cookie. Blasphemy right? Your pudding looks yum! Great job!
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

  22. Ahhh!!! You rule for posting this… i love lace cookies… and i also love cursing ;) Perfect combo! Your pics look delicious!!

  23. Wow. That looks beautiful! I’ve never tried lace cookies before, they sound delicious. Good luck in your new home.

  24. awww damn. i think i would be a lace cookie master with the obscenities that spew forth from my lovely lips on a daily basis.

    I must try the lace cookies.

    rebecca my dear you are a @$%# genius!

  26. We had the pudding with Dorie’s Nutty Volcanoes (or something like that — I can’t remember the exact name; they’re meringues with almonds and pecans), and it was a great combination. I will definitely try the lace cookies next time — they look great.

  29. OMG, your blog is so cute and you are hilarious! Love it. Your lace cookies look fabulous with the pudding. Too bad they were a &!$@!@ to make! LOL!

    Good luck with the move!

  30. Chocolate pudding trumps kitchen packing any day. Especially lace cookie topped chocolate pudding. Great job! May you find laughter, love, and lots of good food in your new kitchen.

  31. Your man sounds like mine! Y’all have fun with your move, and make sure to do the traditional take out picnic on the bare floor of the new house. Thank you for the recipe for cookies, it sounds frigging good! Will make sure to cuss at it in a way that would make my sailor Grandad proud (and out of the hearing of my sailor man).

  33. When in doubt, use profanity. Comes in handy for both kitchen and school projects haha The kitchen is my favorite place as well, so it always gets packed last when going from home to school and vice versa. Glad you could use the pudding as a distraction. And yes, we do need a TwD scholarship program ;)

  34. oh, man-I don’t envy your move. We moved about 9 months ago and I vowed I wouldn’ tdo it agin for five years. Your pudding and cookies look so scrumptious. This would make me love pudding-I need a little crunch.

  35. Thanks for the comment on my blog! I guess we had the same idea when it came to enhancing the pudding. It did need that crunch–and your lace cookies look delicious!

  36. “The secret ingredient is PROFANITY” – that had me laughing out loud. I’ve made a recipe or two where that is the case. =) Good luck with the moving. I’m not sure which I hate more, packing or unpacking.

  40. What an awesome idea! The chocolate drizzled lace cookies look so delicious over the pudding! Congratulations on moving to a new home. Just think. . .a new kitchen to work in. Hhhmm, yes, it may take awhile to get aquainted with all the new places your things will be in. BTW, fab photo too. . .all I can say is YUMMY! =D

  41. Profanity is my secret ingredient for everything–from pudding to cookies to dating to job interviews. Come to think of it, I’m a terrible failure at all of the above.

    Thanks for the laughs and the awesome pudding idea. I’ll have to give your cookies a try next time I make some of this pudding or just find some free time to experiment.

  43. Your pudding and lace cookies look amazing! I loved reading your post, and your dad’s theory on marriage. We have yet to survive the wallpaper but have made it through sickness (nothing major, thank God) and two cross country moves. Best of luck with your move, can’t wait to see what you create in your new kitchen :)

  47. Wow, those lace cookies look like the perfect topping for the pudding. What a great job you did!I think I can handle profanity.

    Good luck on your move!

  56. Are you still unpacking???? One whole week without a word from you…hmmmm…should I come over there and HELP??? We need you cooking…we need you writing it up in that very fun way of yours…we need you to get finished unpacking right now!

    Hope it is going well and you will be back soon.

  58. hahaha, your writting cracks me up :)
    It does look like a delicious pudding, specially with that lace cookies. Lovely pictures

  61. Those look scrumptious! I’ve been meaning to make chocolate pudding for a while.

    I like your dad’s advice. I’m the worst sick person ever and my husband takes wonderful care of me… from a safe distance. My marriage, though, wouldn’t survive baking-while-moving, so kudos to you on that! Haha!

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