Chocolate!
I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like chocolate in it’s many wondrous forms! We love chocolate in our house and you can read more about our chocolate preferences in my post 40 Pounds of Organic Fair Trade Chocolate! I like it plain, in cookies, sprinkled over ice cream, or made into pudding. Yum! Best of all, I like my chocolate worked into recipes for whole foods that are unadulterated with artificial ingredients.
Pudding Mix?
So who here has never grabbed a package of mainstream, ready to make pudding mix? Well I can’t raise my hand in response. It’s just so easy to pick up a package of mix when you’re in a hurry. But every time I read the ingredients I shudder at the thought of eating all those artificial ingredients. I like to have control over what we eat and to do that, you usually have to start from scratch and use real ingredients.
Pudding from Scratch!
I used to make pudding from scratch when I was a kid, so why did I get so lazy? I guess it’s called life. We get so busy, but still want to make fun food for our kids. So sometimes we reach for a box instead of looking up a real recipe. In recent years I have been working toward a healthier, more homemade lifestyle. So I ditched the mix and rolled up my sleeves. This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook recipe.
Chocolate Pudding
- 3/4 cup sugar (I used organic)
- 3 Tbs cornstarch
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder ( I used organic, fair trade cocoa)
- 3 cups milk (I used whole, raw milk)
- 2 beaten eggs
In heavy sauce pan combine the sugar,cocoa, and cornstarch. Stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of the mixture into the beaten eggs. Return all of the mixture back to the pan. Cook until nearly bubbly, but do not boil. Reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Store covered in refrigerator.
You can skip the cocoa powder and add vanilla to the finished pudding if you would like vanilla pudding. In the summer you can make pudding pops by freezing in cups with a spoon or Popsicle stick stuck in them. Pour pudding into a graham cracker crust for an easy pie, or you can use this pudding as a filling for Chocolate Pudding Muffins.
Do you make your own pudding or do you use a mix?
Hi!
I was so excited to make this for my child and myself ;-). I made 2 batches one chocolate and one vanilla. I had no problem with the eggs at all but I have had it in the fridge 6 hours and it is still really runny. FYI I used organic coconut sugar and whole milk. Advice welcome… Help?
Hi Christina,
I wonder if changing the sugar caused it to be runny. Next time, try adding additional cornstarch if you use the coconut sugar. Thanks for the info…it seems like every time I mess with a recipe, it takes a couple tries to get it right!
Pudding didn’t work too well… I had to add extra cornstarch and cocoa. When I poured it into a bowl, there was a whole lot of excess cooked egg. I was wondering if youo could please tell me what to do better next time.
Thankyou so much.
PS: Should it taste like chocolate custard??
Hi GHJ,
When you add the hot mix to the egg, you need to do this very slowly…stirring just a small amount of the hot mix into the egg and whisk well so that the egg doesn’t cook and form chunks. I’m not sure about the extra cornstarch and cocoa…the amounts that I added worked well for me. It will thicken more as it cools. I think it does taste a bit like chocolate custard.
I hope this helps!
Ohhhhh!!! Whisking makes much more sense!! I was stirring it just below the surface!! Thankyou so much!
Glad to help out! I hope you have better luck with the next batch!
I followed the recipy to a T and all was going well until I added the pudding mixture to the beaten egg… Adding the hot mixture to the egg cooked the egg. There is gross pieces of cooked egg in the pudding.
Hi Kelsey,
You need to add the hot mixture to the eggs very gradually…in small amounts. Mix well after every addition. This raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so you don’t end up with the cooked eggs.
I hope this helps.
Seriously? I am so embarrassed…had no idea one could make her own pudding. Ugh…man, am I glad I found your blog. Even though I come away pretty much humiliated every time because I feel so ignorant, I am so inspired and blessed to have a source of such GREAT information! Thank you so much!
Blessings,
Sarah
Aw, shucks, Sarah 🙂 I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t been taught by my Mom! She has been a real inspiration to me!
I’m so glad to have you visiting and I’m happy to help with new ideas! Stop by anytime 🙂
This looks delicious! I love chocolate in all forms! Thanks for sharing on the Saturday Round Up!
Thanks Sara!
Happy weekend wishes to you and Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop, your participation is what makes it so much fun. Come back to Katherines Corner,I posted the new giveaway today! xo
Thanks Katherine!
Thanks for the recipe! It looks delicious – will make it soon.
You’re very welcome Hetty! Enjoy!
Thank you so much for this! I found a mix with natural ingredients a few weeks ago, but still wondered how I could make it myself without a mix. I much prefer knowing exactly what’s going in to the things I make.
So happy to share this, Melinda! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Wonderful! I grab the box and cringe every time I do! Never again!! Thank you for this recipe!:)
Hi Farmlife Chick,
I’m so glad you are giving up the box! I have a couple in my cupboard that I should give away. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
It has been a long time since I’ve made chocolate pudding, but this is so easy! As in all of my baking, I would substitute raw honey for the sugar. Raw honey does not raise blood sugar levels in diabetics, so it’s good for my hubby. Thanks, Lisa :-). P.S. I shared this on FB and Pinterest, it’s that good!
Thanks for sharing my post Brenda! I like substituting honey too, but haven’t tried it for this recipe. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out…I just might have to do that next time. 🙂
This sounds delicious!! Did you use the same amount of honey as the sugar recommendation?
Hi Cara,
When you substitute honey for sugar, you should use about 2/3 cup honey for each cup of sugar because honey tastes sweeter. For this recipe, I would use 1/2 cup honey. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!