best chocolate pudding
But chocolate pudding is none of these things. The perfect recipe–the one I sifted through dozens and dozens to find–would be chocolaty but not overly heavy, indulgent but not too rich. In short, the kind of thing you’d want to eat with the love of your life without the risk of shortening the length of it. As a bonus, it would be a reasonable recipe to tackle on a weekday night.
This turned out to be a surprisingly complicated feat. You see, chocolate pudding has lost its way. Over the years, as chocolate desserts have gotten more and more decadent, so-called “puddings” have followed suit. Suddenly, the chocolate pudding that your grandmother made for your mother, or your mother made for you has been poshed up with cream and butter and egg yolks. They’re made in food processors, they’re hit up with immersion blenders, they’re lightened with whipped egg whites, they’re baked in ramekins in water baths covered with tented foil. While these desserts are many wonderful things–pot-de-cremes, pasty creams, souffles–puddings, they are not.
And this is the point where I can progress no further in this story without tell you how my mother feels about making chocolate pudding: she thinks it is pointless. As she has similar cooking proclivities, one day when my sister and I were young, she set out to replace the My-T-Fine stuff we knew and loved with one she made from scratch. In her words, it took forever and tasted exactly like the stuff from the box. She would never make it again. “Some things,” she says when I wax on, conspiring to make my own sourdough starter, yogurt or marshmallows, “are just not worth it.”
Of course, I didn’t listen and dove first into a recipe from someone I adore so much, it broke my heart that I hated the recipe. You started in a double-boiler, then a saucepan, then move over to the food processor, then the food processor a second time, then the saucepan again and then the food processor. No, I am not making this up. It had egg yolks, a whole egg, butter, cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate in it and I just don’t know what I was thinking. I was almost embarrassed to tell my mother that it was good–oh, and we did eat it with nary a complaint–but not even mindblowing. To her credit, she spared me the “I told you so.”
But I knew I had to spare you this recipe, truly more of a pastry cream than a pudding. I mean, you would have rightfully scoffed. For gosh sakes, it is pudding not salted butter caramel ice cream, evidence that not everything I have been saving in my recipe files for many years has earned its keep.
And this was when I remembered something, well, really quite mindless. Skimming down to item #43 in the “sweets” subsection of my Cook This list, there was the blissful, three-step (oh, and the third one is “chill”), egg-, butter-, cream-, food processor- and oven-free 22 minute chocolate pudding from John Scharffenberger of Scharffenberger Chocolate that Luisa had posted about over a year ago. You see, the best recipe was already out there, and now it is here too.
Perhaps if my mother had tried this recipe instead, I’d be getting my sourdough starter from her!
One year ago: Green Tea Cookie with White Chocolate Filling
Silky Chocolate Pudding
Adapted from John Scharffenberger, via Wednesday Chef
Serves 6
1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups (705 ml) whole milk
6 ounces (170 grams) 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used good quality semisweet chocolate chips; use 70% bittersweet if you want more of a dark chocolate kick)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
2. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (or skip this step if you’re a slacker like me who is absolutely certain that there is nary a lump her puddin’) into a serving bowl or into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour into individual serving dishes.
3. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dish(es) before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days (ahem, good luck with that).



















Beautiful! And so simple. That is indeed the best. Thanks!
(I had a similar experience trying to do tapioca from scratch using a fancy recipe. It was a disaster. The next time I used the much simpler recipe on the tapioca package and it came out perfect.)
So simple……and fabulous. Thanks for doing all the work for us. I love decadent desserts but prefer ones that don’t make you fall asleep. :D
My mother swears by My-T-Fine. It’s the only chocolate pudding I’ve ever known.
Last month I made a chocolate pudding recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food and I loved it. It is a little time consuming, but the end product was SO worth it.
Like that would last 3 days in my house! And I don’t know about you, but I love the “skin” on the pudding. I’m adding this one to my list of things to try.
Yep, that’s my grandma’s recipe! So simple and yet so satisfying. The perfect pudding!
You know what i find most exciting about this? I can make this with our lactose-free organic milk that we have recently discovered in Whole Foods!!! I cannot wait!
First let me say I really love your blog. I enjoy your sense of humor and your recipes are wonderful. I can’t wait to try this pudding–no baking in a water bath, no eggs to curdle! Can I cut this recipe in half without serious repercussions? As a single-person household, I’d like the option of NOT having the temptation of 6 servings of divine chocolate pudding in my fridge.
You can add a dash of cinnamon and hot pepper or orange zest if you want to be a little daring. Lovely both ways.
Hey! I just saw that you’re mentioned in this month’s Real Simple. Congrats! You definitely deserve the attention :)
Hey, this sounds a lot like Mark Bittman’s chocolate pudding, which I seem to be making about once a week these days. His does have a couple of eggs and a pat of butter, but he tells you that you can leave those out and sometimes I do. Plus, I never even bother with the double boiler – just cook it all up in a sauce pan. Yum.
Such delicious photographs, Deb! Your recipe is similar to my cornstarch pudding dish, except that I’m too lazy to setup a double-boiler. ;-) Speaking of chocolate and pot de crème, my friends and I avoided the faff of hot water baths by making a no-bake version. It based on the Cook’s Illustrated recipe; except that we spiced it up using Mexican chocolate.
I’m envious that you managed to take glamorous photos of pudding. My husband wooed me with chocolate pudding on one of our first dates, so it has a special place in our hearts, but we never get it that pretty!
This recipe looks really tasty. I may just have to make some pudding tonight because now I’m totally craving chocolate.
My favorite chocolate pudding recipe is very close to this one and is from Scharffenberger site. That recipe has a little more sugar (2/3 cup), a little less chocolate (4 oz). I’ll be trying this version next. It has to be even better with more chocolate and less sugar. Another glorious thing about this recipe is that it works for vegans or those with dairy allergies if you use rice or soy milk and vegan chocolate such as Equal Exchange Organic Very Dark Chocolate.
That looks very lovely. How about a recipe for chocolate mousse? Just sayin’ :)
I don’t usually chime in, but let me tell you that sourdough starter is totally worth it. I have some that’s been in my family for over 20 years, and OH MY GOD is it ever amazing. Great bread, great pancakes, incredible waffles – I cannot imagine living without it. You can even leave it alone for months at a time, as long as you use it every 3-4. Proposition for you: I have extra and I come into the city from time to time. Since my container is overflowing it’s time to get rid of some anyway. If you want it, let me know. Otherwise it’ll go to waste.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh that looks dreamy! I can practically taste it! Happy V Day!!!!
Those photos are amazing. The pudding looks delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
–
I have a great alternative for those of you with food allergies or other intolerances.
Here’s a simple gluten-free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened chocolate pudding recipe.
Enjoy!
This looks so good, could you use 2% or dare I say it, skim milk, in this recipe, or would that ruin it?
That other chocolate pudding recipe — that wouldn’t happen to be Dorie Greenspan’s, would it?
This pudding looks just like love. I made an easy and out of this world delicious chocolate sorbet a few days ago. I like my Valentine’s day with simple chocolate love.
omg. Wow…this looks amazing!! And soo much better than anything you could ever buy.
I found you from Bunny’s blog…your cooking and photography are amazing!! :)
Sues
Yup, me too, that’s about how I make chocolate pudding. It hadn’t found it’s way into my rotation until about 5 years after I was married – when I first made it for my husband he gobbled up and ungodly amount of it and then claimed I had been holding out on him all those years.
But, have you tried the one with coconut milk from 101 Cookbooks? D-I-V-I-N-E. Really, it’s great.
One more thing – try putting your chocolate pudding into your ice cream maker – the best chocolate ice cream ever, I promise.
Thank you for this recipe. It’s chilling in my refrigerator now. Guittard bittersweet onyx wafers plus Penzeys double-strength vanilla equals SWEET JESUS IS THIS GOOD.
Deb,
you love us. you really love us.
this, i could do.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
God bless you!
Laura
Mmmm . . . this sounds so good (particularly after a few of the intimidating recipes in the NY Times last week!). We had to celebrate Valentine’s Day one day early, so our dessert tonight was dark and white chocolate covered strawberries. Yum!
Ok, before I get brave and try it… what exactly does “skin” on my pudding mean? Because this is great for no-skin pudding. :) Folded with whip cream, this is heavenly and sinful, all at once. Yum yum. Thanks. And kudos on the creativity for a lil’ sumptin different.
THIS is the pudding recipe I’ve been looking for. Now I’m going to have to decide between this and Mark Bittman’s truffles (from way back in Dec) for Valentine’s Day. Thanks for the inspiration, and the gorgeous photos.
This sounds so easy, I really should give it a try some day!
this, i have been WAITING for. you answered my prayers without even knowing it. huzzah!
Oh man, look at the skin on that pudding! I mean, er, the pudding as a whole. Yes. I will have to make this and make it soon. Seriously, though: quality pudding skin.
Treadmills are evil and must be suppressed! But chocolate pudding … My goodness, I’m about ready to lick my LCD in lusty abandon!
There *must* be a 24-hour grocery around here somewhere …
Oh my, they look divine. Pure heaven in ramekins. Perfect for a Valentine’s Day dessert.
Although I’ve been reading your blog for a little bit, this is my first comment. I have to say that I love your blog and photographs, thank you so much for sharing your passion with us!
They look so delicious and have got me drooling over them even though I am sick and full of cold. Happy Valentines to you! My boyfriend thinks valentines day is a load of rubbish so something tells me I won’t be getting any delicious choccy puds. By the way, what is My-T-Fine?!
Those photos are amazing. The pudding looks delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Spectacular photos as always. I may or may not have licked my monitor.
I want to lick the screen! That looks so tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
That’s the recipe I use (my Aunt Marg’s) but I use the microwave instead of the double-boiler. Nothing beats warm pudding! Instead of chocolate chips, you can also leave it plain (just add the vanilla) or add butterscotch chipits. The butterscotch don’t melt as easily and take *way* more stirring, but oh!
Kick it root down
I was just looking for a chocolate pudding recipe for this coming Sat. Thank you thank you thank yoU!!!
Looks like I know what V-Day dessert will be. And given that dinner tonight is fried chicken, I think it’s highly apropos. Thanks for the perfect recipe!
-Us vs. Food
The Creme Anglaise idea is brilliant.
You are an evil genius.
And I mean that in a good way.
mmmm, scrumptious. After eating my weight in pudding while visiting Istanbul, I’ve let it escape my mind…until I opened my fridge the other night to see jello snack packs. Not ok! Thanks for posting this — considering I live with an instant pudding lover, I’ve got my work cut out for me.
YUM! Now how to prevent myself from not eating the entire bowl of pudding?? Also wanted to send along some congratulations! Real Simple listed you as one of the best blogs for food! Have to say I agree! :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! It was a massive hit at my house and just in time since we’ve only made about 15 pans of your pumpkin bread pudding this winter. The chocolate pudding was absolutely perfect–easy enough to make, lovely texture, and a wonderful flavor made with Ghiradhelli 60% chocolate chips–yum!
Yum! This is just like my mother’s recipe. She also makes double use of this recipe by filling a baked pie shell with the cool pudding and topping it with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. It makes a mean chocolate cream pie.
I officially announce that I am forced to lick the screen. Simple and so chic. Bravo!!!
Hurray!!! Just discovered your blog and I already love it and you!!! I am trying to get back to cooking dinner at home instead of going out so much or buying ready-made (sick of it!!!). I am a bit out of practice and sometimes I have to force myself to look for recipes and buy ingredients but a blog like yours is a great motivator. Thanks for sharing.
Mmm..it just doesn’t get any better than this here chocolate puddin’ recipe!
I’m pretty sure you have to use whole milk. I grabbed something called Vitamin D milk (shopping and cooking while getting over a cold — not so good) which is…? I have no idea. But, after 30 minutes, I wouldn’t call it “thickened.” I think whole milk is the way to go. Also, the ghiradelli bits I grabbed didn’t incorporate very well. Maybe I have a temperature thing? Anyway, I’m praying for a miracle in the fridge. A finger dipped in tasted quite good but… maybe not so much pudding. I’ll try this again with proper ingredients.
I love your website! I am pretty new to this blogging and am currently just enjoying putting my own recipes and thoughts together. But finding your site is one of the best things that has happened since I started. I can’t wait ot get started on some of your recipes. Your photos are great too. Thanks for the fun!!
pea&pear http://www.thechefbite.blogspot.com
mmm, I just made this recipe. I love how when you first add the chocolate it seems like a mistake, “oh no, it’s never going to come together”, and then it coalesces into chocolaty deliciousness.
I thought pudding always had eggs!? I guess because I’ve only tried Martha’s Everyday Food versions… I’ll branch out and try this.
Nice Smitten mention in Real Simple! You’re big time! (Deservedly so.)
OH! I didn’t know you could make chocolate pudding from scratch, how silly of me. It was all I craved when I was pregnant. Fantastic as usual-lovely photos and totally fun to read-keep up the good work!
Wow, rtcaro, that’s a pretty brave admission to make amid dozens of foodies. Reminds me of a college roommate of mine. . . I said I was going to make brownies, and started pulling out the flour, sugar, etc. Ensuing conversation revealed that she had no idea that you could make brownies any way other than a brownie mix in a box. I, on the other hand, never had anything but from-scratch until I was in college. Too funny.
And not to seem like I’m trying to moderate this, but:
Amanda: usually the milk that says only Vitamin D *is* the whole milk. The assumption is that unless they state reduced fat, 2%, nonfat, etc., then it’s the real deal–just milk. Whole milk. Just an FYI. So the non-thickening must have come from some other cause.
Try the dessert deemed “Dessert of the Year” by bon appétit (in their January ’08 issue.)
Chocolate Pudding Pie.
The name doesn’t do it justice. It’s divine. My family thinks this confection deserves a better name, lest one is misled to think it wears a store-bought graham cracker crust and cool-whip topping.
Any suggestions?
I made this last night, but, living with girls who drink milk like they were baby calfs, we only keep skim milk around. Just a tip: Skim milk does not work. At all. It just didn’t thicken well. It tasted great, but mostly just like REALLY good chocolate milk. This would be a recipe worth buying whole milk for, though. Will try again with right ingredients.
Wow… it truly looks so creamy and yummy!!
I made this last night and it turned out great. My wife loves the skin on Chocolate pudding, and this worked out great. One quick tip I had was that you could mix a little of the cold milk and cornstarch in small lidded container by shaking vigorously and make a slurry to further insure against lumps. But that would detract from the one bowl nature of the recipe.
I also just did the whole thing in a saucepan, with no double boiler. Over low heat and stirring constantly I think it turned out okay. Probably not as smooth as it would have been over a double boiler, but it was fine.
This looks so perfect for a chocolate craving!! I will definitely be giving it a shot with some soy substitutions. My lactose tolerance is getting exponentially worse : (
But, you got me curious about the pudding I knew growing up (Jello Instant). Ingredients? Cocoa, corn starch, sugar, (added milk) + a bunch of other preservative/stabilizing crap. I guess Jello had the basic idea right
I’ll have to try this… but I’m another one who can’t have dairy (or wheat). I usually use almond milk for hot things, but I don’t know if it will thicken properly in pudding. So, maybe I’ll reduce the almond milk first.
If that doesn’t work, I’ll try Elana’s version, but that will mean finding some other ingredients…
For those of you who can’t have dairy, or who are just looking for a variation, I’d definitely recommend checking out Heidi from 101 Cookbook’s Coconut Chocolate Pudding, made with coconut milk, which I hear is delicious.
For those of you who must be wheat-free, is arrowroot an acceptable substitution for cornstarch? I haven’t tried it yet in this recipe, but I’ve swapped it in others (pavlova, for example) and it worked just fine.
aaaaaaaaah. what timing! needed something chocolate & grand but quick and simple to feed to the dh and kids after dinner on valentine’s day. this was a hit. tops the ol’ stand-by chocolate pudding from my red-and-white plaid cookbook. made this one in a saucepan over low heat, as steve did, and it worked fine. just whisked the entire time — no lumps. wonderful with only one dirty pan and a whisk! fast, simple, easy. thank you thank you thank you!
lovely pictures as usual.
question, can i use this recipe to substitute instant pudding called for in cake recipes? probably not but just wanted to know from someone who knows more than me =D
I would definitely try this…
On the question of whether you need to use whole milk, I didn’t — I used 2% and it turned out very well. Couldn’t be as rich as with whole, but it’s absolutely delicious with (slightly) reduced fat.
Thanks so much for that. I’m pretty sure my mother always made pudding with 1 or 2 percent, but I didn’t want to “okay” it until I had actually auditioned it on this recipe. Great to know!
Could you please just do desserts and baked goods from now on?
:)
I’m pretty sure that pudding KILLS the chocolate pudding I attempted to make. Mine turned out more like frosting!
Made this last night for my sweetie – oohhhh my. Went for whole milk from Straus Family Creamery and 62% semisweet chocolate from Scharffen Berger for some intensely-delicious-but-local flavor. Rich, smooth, fast without a lot of dishes…Yay!
I used rice milk and yogurt instead of milk, rice flour instead of corn starch. It turned out fantastic. Thanks for the idea.
i made this with %64 Valrhona chocolate w/orange. delish!
So the so and I tried to make this last night (actually, he did all the work while I cooked dinner) and it never set! Any ideas as to why? Do you think maybe we didn’t cook the milk/cornstarch/sugar mixture long enough?? It was still delicious though… (just more of a soup than a pudding).
All I can say is WOW!!! These look wonderful and I cannot wait to try.
Thanks,
Terri
My experience has been that cornstarch (or arrowroot powder, for that matter) doesn’t gel because it has been cooked too long–not generally because it wasn’t cooked enough. As soon as the pudding starts to thicken in the pot, it’s time to get that baby outta there and get it cooled down.
Also, FYI, arrowroot powder usually doesn’t work well in dairy-based recipes and cornstarch doesn’t work well in acidic recipes.
I was THRILLED to see Smitten Kitchen listed as one of four top food blogs Real Simple recommends to check immediately. I couldn’t agree more!
sorry for asking this non-related question, but what camera do you use? and how do you take your pictures? my baked goods always end up a tad blue-ish. Any tips? Youre pictures are really really really great :D
Now I want pudding…and I’m not even a big pudding fan! Also, as you mentioned, the 101 Cookbooks coconut milk pudding IS delicious. And I don’t remember it being too hard to make. Nice suggestion for those who need to forgo dairy. Next I’ll have to try this one! :)
Looks and sounds utterly divine!
I just made the puddin’ last night and it was absolutely delicious! I LOVE IT!
Oh man! This looks delish! And I had to find your site right when my husband found out his cholesterol is very high and he won’t eat anything like this. Darn my luck. I guess this recipe is the perfect excuse to have some girlfriends over. :) I would have to eat mine hot, I can’t do chilled pudding. I am just weird that way. :)
Thanks for the note, Kara, on the vitamin D milk. I think maybe I’ll try it again tomorrow since I still have all the ingredients and I’m still craving pudding!
Amanda,
I had trouble getting it to thicken as well. I finally put it in a sauce pan over low heat and that seemed to work better. I’d go with Steve’s approach on your second try and see if that works better.
i just made this pudding tonight, and am trying really hard not to eat it all before it’s totally chilled. i added some spice and swapped out some of the milk for cream and it thickened up beautifully. i’m about to blog it now!
Oh lord Deb…. this looks delicious, just like every other recipe you’ve given to us! But now i have a serious dilemma, i was thinking of making chocolate mousse for this supper i’m hosting with a friend of mine but now that i see this chocolate pudding.. oh good lord help me! It’s such a tight competition between those two desserts now! Hihihi… thank you for this recipe, your pictures look good enough to eat! (if only i could jump into my screen and grab them!) Happy belated Valentine’s day :)
I read your blog this afternoon and promptly bolted to my kitchen, where the chocolate pudding that resulted was indeed superb. Thanks as ever.
I, too, tried to make this last night, but the pudding never set. It still tasted yummy, but I’m wondering where I went wrong. Could my corn starch have been stale or ineffective? I almost added another tablespoon of corn starch to it after I admitted to myself that it just wasn’t going to thicken up, but was concerned that would ruin it completely.
Like I said earlier though, it still tasted fabulous and I WILL try this again in the future. Thanks for the recipe – both simple and tasty!
Tonight, I fashioned a makeshift double boiler, and 20 minutes later, I had this amazing chocolatey goodness ^_^ Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks now, and it has inspired me a LOT. I actually sat down and came up with 30 new recipes (some of yours!), so I can try to make something new every day for a month =]
Really, though, I’m still in shock that I just made chocolate pudding from scratch =O
You crack me up; my mom is the SAME way! Her kitchen is admirable so I bring my recipes there. Some are on the adventurous side and she’s always telling me not to put so much effort in! I tell her the effort is half the fun, but at this point in her long career of baking, she’s over it. :o) Thanks for the pudding recipe! I’m trying it this weekend.
So your pudding won over my chocolate mousse… it’ll be served for dessert thursday evening! Thank you once again, and i shall definately let you know how it came out!
I have made 5 different chocolate puddings since Feb 1st – this is great and easier than tempering egg yolks. I don’t ever use a double boiler, just a heavy saucepan and that worked great. I ate some warm (always have to do that!) and some chilled. YUM.
I froze my leftovers in single servings for pudding pops. Yum.
for the gluten-free folks–i made this using tapioca flour instead of cornstarch (a 2:1 sub) and it worked great. we were licking our bowls.
I just discovered that, should you happen to be distracted by your children and pour the pudding out too early, it won’t set up–nless you put it in your ice cream maker where it makes a perfectly delicious chocolate ice cream.
i made this once and it turned out perfectly, but the second time it didn’t set properly and i swear i didn’t change anything. what is it that makes it decide not to thicken all the way sometimes?
i’m going to take the soupy vanilla version and pour it over the chocolate hearts and minds cake.
Deb! This turned out perfectly… i had it set up on a double boiler for 15 minutes but it did not thicken at all so i just put it directly over the stove and it came out perfectly! Thank you once again for all of your delicious recipes!
It’s a real testament to a recipe when you’ve never made something before (I’d never made pudding) and the first time you try it’s the best you’ve ever had! Seriously, this pudding recipe was so silky smooth and the depth of chocolate flavor was amazing! This will become a go-to chocolate dessert staple in my house for sure. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
The Teacher Learns to Cook
I just made this with 1/2c cream, 2.5c 2% milk (both of which was what I had in the fridge), and Scharffen Berger’s 99% unsweeted chocolate. I did not change anything else, and it was super delish. Sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet. Perfectly smooth, and delicious.
awesome, super easy to make…loved it. only i would add way less sugar, i thought it was super sweet.
I made this last night, and it wouldn’t set! My only mod was replacing 1 cup milk with 2% b/c I ran out of whole. It was such a disappointment, but not wanting to give up on it, I came back and read what others had to say. I took my unset pudding and reheated it in a saucepan on med-low. And after another 15 minutes or so, it thickened…like magic! My pudding has been redeemed! And though all I’ve tasted is the scrapes from my spatula, it sure was tasty! Can’t wait!
I’m gonna make one now! that’s really yummy! DELICIOSO!!!!
Love this recipe. Thanks! I have been making it with 2% and it tastes great. Also, can halve the recipe and it does just fine. I am using dark chocolate from Ecuador and it is heavenly. Yum!
this pudding looks to die for. Could you use any other kind of milk, like 2%, 1% or skim??
I have only made it with whole milk, Lolah, but several other people in the comments say they’ve had success with 2 percent milk. Good luck!
Tonight I have a hankering for chocolate pudding. Did a search and up came this webpage. Went to the kitchen, made the pudding in a thick bottomed stainless steel pot, whisking the entire time. Used 2/3 non-fat milk and 1/3 cream for the whole milk, 2/3 c. sugar and 70% chocolate. Couldn’t see nary a lump. From start to finish 12 minutes. It’s now in the fridge cooling down and my husband is getting very impatient… This recipe will be fun to experiment with – Mexican chocolate, cayenne pepper, orange, kahlua, more vanilla, lavender. The possibilities are endless. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo – dip churros in it for extra fun! Thanks!!!
its a good recipe for the family
You don’t need a to fuss with a double boiler if you use a very heavy cast iron enamel pot. I’ve follow this awesome recipe using my cherished Le Creuset 1/3 qt round oven (it’s so worth it), set on low heat, this recipe will not burn in the pot.
I was also thinking along the same lines of how well the slight fragrant metallic taste of lavender would enhance the pudding by infusing it in the milk during the boiling process but my wife wanted plain pudding. Instead, I’ve top my pudding bowl with a touch of smoked course grain sea salt, it works great but in moderation. Salt and chocolate complements but after the first time, it gets old. Also adding grand mariner to my individual servings didn’t make as much of an impact as I expected because the chocolate is too overwhelming to notice the grand mariner.
btw … used 1/3 pound of 70% Belgium chocolate from trader joe at $4/lb.
Next time going to use a tad less sugar since the other 30% may already be contributing to its sweetness.
Great recipe! We all loved it and it was easy to make.
I made this yesterday for Memorial Day, and my husband and I really enjoyed it! I also use Trader Joe’s bittersweet chocolate.
Thank you for the Quiz and providing us with wonderful receipes.
Thanks again
It touchs the divine!
by the way – for folks without a double boiler, just put two same-sized pots on top of each other boiling water in the bottom one and ingredients in the top one. Or, you can put the ingredients in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. I have done both and the indirect heat makes sure you don’t burn the milk and or overheat the chocolate.
for a gourmet touch, instead of using vanilla extract put a whole vanilla bean in the milk at the start, taking it out just before you add the chocolate. mmmmmmmm.
Thanks for the recipe. I doubled it, subbed cream and eggs for the milk, added cinnamon, ancho chile, and cayenne and totally messed it up. It just wouldn’t set up, delicious a chocolate soup as it was. So I threw it back on the double-boiler, added about another1/4 cup of corn starch, and cooked it for another 20 minutes or so, and I came out beautifully. Obviously, I should learn to follow directions a bit better, but thanks for the template.
I Love it!!!
I’ve been looking for a chocolate pudding from scratch without eggs. It is delicious. I even tried it with 1% milk and it tasted just as great!
Thanks
I went for a long walk with the dog while the pudding cooled. Better than a treadmill, and I’d like to think I earned my pudding treat. Trying to figure out how to use this so I don’t eat the rest. Any ideas for homemade pudding pops?
My boyfriend have made this three times already. Our new staple of decadence. Thank you!
yummy puddding
Finally got around to making this to use up some whole milk. Used 2/3 valrhona 70% and 1/3 valrhona 61% and found it too sweet for my taste. I would cut back on the sugar a bit next time, or use all 70%. Also, I used this recipe but not this method. I just made a slurry of the corn starch and 1 cup of the milk, added it to the hot milk and sugar and brought it to a boil while stirring constantly; stirred in the chocolate off the heat and added a healthy glug of bourbon (deb has influenced me so much!). Yummy pudding indeed.
absolutely devine. good thing i’m training for a marathon and can burn some extra calories! used 1% milk and regular old chocolate chips this time. i cant wait to try it again with some good dark chocolate and whole milk. this stuff will go down in history at our house.
I couldnt get to the store on Thanksgiving eve. Forgot to buy packaged pudding, I found this recipe and used it for my pie… Fantastic! Thank you so much, my kids thank you. I wouldnt change a thing.
The Joy of Cooking cookbook has basically this same recipe, but it is done in a saucepan, which greatly reduces the time required. I would venture to try this recipe with the saucepan directions I already know.
Combine in a saucepan:
2 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4-6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. Mix together until smooth:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
Stir slowly into the hot mixture. Stirring constantly, heat over Medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, stirring briskly, bring to a simmer and continue to cook for one minute. remove from heat and stir in:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
My son has been a connoisseur of chocolate pudding since he was old enough to talk enough to ask for specific foods. I made this as a part of a going away feast for him last night for his return to China. It was so good he got up and ate some for breakfast before catching his flight. I split the chocolate between 70% & 60% as that is what I had on hand and it was simply awesome. The quintessential chocolate pudding. Thanks!
thanks for the recipe. I was in search of a replacement to all those little pudding cups sold at the price of a liter of milk, so I found a lot of recipes that were really too far from what I needed (like eggs, cream, etc). Your recipe on the other hand is way simpler and I appreciated it for this.
There are 2 things that I have modified, though:
- after 5 minutes of stirring in vain, I put aside the double boiler and replaced it with a pan. the pudding was done in 5 more minutes, and stirring in it continuously kept it from being burn.
- 60% 6 ounces chocolate means about 100 grams cocoa. Because that’s what 60% is about, the content of cocoa in chocolate. SO I made it simpler, more natural, I added in some cocoa, but much more less than 100 g
anyway, the result was so tasty and encouraging that I’ll be browsing around your site for more ideas.
thanks again!
Fantastic. I used some mexican chocolate wedges and a mixture of 1% and evaporated canned milk. Forgot to reduce sugar as there was a lot in the mexican chocolate already. A bit sweet for my taste, but every one loved it. Easy and rich.
Now you’ve done it. We were perfectly happy, in our ignorance, making Jello cook and serve pudding, but this recipe is so easy and so, so much more delicious we can’t go back. We’re spoiled forever. Semi sweet chocolate, 2 1/2 C. 2 % milk with 1/2 C heavy cream works great (I used the rest to make topping for the pudding), but I’ve already gone back to the store to get bittersweet chocolate and whole milk to see how it’s different. Yum–can’t wait!
I used this recipe as my inspiration today; it really is easy and is so very, very good.
I used a 4oz bar of Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate and 2 oz of Lindt 70% chocolate, because that’s what I had on hand. I also used the sugar volume in the original Scharffen-Berger recipe; 2/3 cup; I like it sweeter! (FYI: that recipe uses only 4oz of either 62 or 70% chocolate as well). I used 2%, Lactose Free Milk in the recipe too.
I dumped everything into the pan at once and cooked it on med-low, stirring constantly until it boiled for 1 minute. I mention this because it is such a good basic recipe I’d hate to think that the double boiler process would make anyone not attempt it because it’s sounds so fussy. It’s not at all. Thanks for the inspiration, Deb.
What fun! I’ve made pudding out of corn starch, milk and cocoa, but even pudding made with Ghirardelli cocoa never rose above the absolutely ordinary. Of course, that’s OK; everyone like pudding, after all. For some reason it never occurred to me that using baking chocolate might make the difference.
I’m still eating on my last batch of arborio-rice pudding, but what the heck; I think I’ll use a bar of the Scharffenberger chocolate I just stuck in the pantry the other night. Can’t hardly wait!
Hey!I made the pudding yesterday night and it didn’t set.I changed whole milk to evaporated milk and I wonder if that is why the pudding didn’t set.But this morning I added in some custard powder and after about two hours,it look something like what a pudding should look like.I’m trying it again tonight with whole milk to see if it makes a difference.But recipe wise,this is SUPER simple and I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website!
Thank you! I made Joy of Cooking’s recipe this wkd. Didn’t set, and tasted like the boxed variety–not chocolatey enough, overly sugary. And I’d used half-and-half, so I feel like it was wasted calories. Tried a Mark Bittman recipe for vanilla a few wks ago, and that was even worse (although it could be b/c I used 2%…). This will be next.
I wonder, though, does corn starch lose its thickening qualities if it’s too old?
Made this for Valentine’s day and it was a hit! Only alteration I did was to add about 1/3 tsp of orange zest with the vanilla at the end. Gave it just the right amount of orangey kick. Served with whipped cream. mmmmmm.
I made this today, though 2/3 of the recipe–I can’t go with easy halves! LOL!!! Used 3-1/4 oz. of 72% chocolate and it came out good. I made it the same way I always make pudding–stir together dry ingredients in saucepan, stir in milk, cook on medium while stirring until it comes to a boil–then added the chocolate and stirred until it came to barely a full boil. This pudding really is silky!!!!
My pudding sets up fine the first day but the second day it starts to liquefy. Could it be the fat-free lactose free milk?
I’ve never used that kind of milk before, but the recipe calls for whole milk, which works much better for puddings.
OK–I think I’m doing something wrong here. I’ve made this receipe 3 times–the first it turned out absolutely awesomely, but then the second two times, the pudding just didn’t gel. I know that cornstarch can fail to work if you overheat it, but I did use the double boiler. I’m now craving pudding! Any thoughts on troubleshooting?
I made it as written and unknown to me it hadn’t cooked enough. I was taking it to a friend’s dinner party when after 2 hours I took it from fridge and it was like chocolate milk. I heated it for 4 minutes in friend’s microwave and it was fabulous! Although not silky and smooth like pudding. It had some texture and I wonder if it had to do with a chemical change in the sugar.
I just now made it in the microwave from start to finish and it’s very silky and smooth. Now, my friends want it the original way!!! I’ll try.
I don’t know what went wrong but i failed!!!
Love your site and love this recipe. Made it with 2% in a 4-cup glass measure using a microwave, as I do all sauce-and pudding type recipes now. So much better than the cocoa powder recipe I’d been using, and so much easier! I wondered about butterscotch chips and see that someone else here has tried it, so that’s next.
And I can’t wait to try the butternut squash and chickpea salad on another page. Got to love the butternut.
It was the best chocolte pudding ever!
I made these a couple weeks ago, and while good, they didn’t turn out quite like yours. Maybe it’s because I cheated and cooked them for about half the time… or because I needed to use up some chocolate around my house and ended up using a GIANT hershey kiss (it weighed around 7 oz, but don’t worry, i didn’t use ALL of it) with some dark chocolate thrown in… but either way, it didn’t set up as nicely as yours, and after being left in the fridge for a day, some of the milk separated and formed a milky coating on top.
But it was still yummy, and I’d probably make it again.
OMG!!!!!! What a great recipe, so simple and quick. The pudding came out delicious. I didn’t have corn starch, so I added flour. I didn’t have vanilla extract, so I added Godiva Liquor. I also added a teaspoon of coffee.
At first I was a little nervous, but it worked out better than I could of hoped for. Thank you for such an AMAZING recipe.
Completely painless! Thank you so much :)
Since finding this recipe a few weeks ago, I’ve made this pudding 6 times. It is like pudding crack. ZOMG, is this good! Even with Nestle chocolate chips! I hadn’t made pudding for years, now I’m making it twice a week. Thank you!
Wow!!! Thank you!!! I made a half batch just to give it a try and my goodness!!!!!!!!! This is great!!!!! I can’t wait to use this in a chocolate pie!!! Do you have an easy meringue recipe? You’re great!!! Keep up the good work!!
I just had gum graft surgery and I can only eat squishy foods.Thank goodness I found this recipe because it is single-handedly keeping my calcium intake at an appropriate level. Thanks!! Going to make some more right now with Green & Black’s dark chocolate. Yum.
Thankyou for this recipe!
At first I thought I had added too much milk… I had interpreted the recipe as 15/20min cooking time from the moment you add the milk! Realising this might have been where I had gone wrong after reading the comments, I poured it out of all my bowls and cooked again for 20mins, finally achieving a satisfactory thickness.
I wish, however, that I had decided to go with ordinary chocolate instead of cooking chocolate… tastes so much better. Might not have worked so well though.
Soooo good. Perfect, actually. This recipe is a keeper.
I halved the recipe and made it with skim milk (was still rich and creamy). It was super easy to make. It only took 10 mins to cook, from the time that I put it on the double broiler to the time I pulled it off and added in the chocolate. Sadly, I was a little cocky and didn’t strain my pudding, but next time I will. : )
Amazing recipe, I did have to add some dark chocolate for more flavor. Didn’t have any whole milk on hand so I used a mixture of Cool Whip and 2%.
How could I possibly have gotten this wrong? Easy. I am very talented. Somehow, I ended up with very cold chocolate milk. How did it not thicken enough? Can I fix this? Can anyone help?
@J I just made this pudding, and I know from experience that when you cook w/ corn starch you have to make sure it gets thick in the pan before you let it cool. Another tip would be to mix the corn starch in a small amount of milk before adding it to the mix, that way it’s not clumpy, and cook it until it thickens up.
I made this with soy and it rocked!!
mmmmmmmm i love chocolate pudding my mum makes the best. in the middle it has melted chocolate. how does she make it
If you want to add wipped cream or an egg or something like that, add the vanilla to this extra ingredient, whisk, and add after cooking.
An egg makes a lot of difference, the texture is even silkier, and it cancels out the use of fatfree milk :)
I have a very similar recipe for vanilla or almond pudding and always use fatfree milk and an egg, I simply love it that way.
Oh but with an egg, you wouldn’t want to try the 3 days version – better eat it the same day. It also tastes wonderfull directly from the stove!
Absolutely brilliant. A never fail recipe. Have tried it several times, so it isn’t beginners luck! Thank you
Made this pudding for the 2nd time today, and made sure to use whole milk. Wow, is it ever creamy! That extra 2% milkfat sure made a difference. I mean, with 2% it was delicious, but now…now…there are no words! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks Deb!
Fantastic pudding. Made it today with my three year old, and we both loved it. Thank you.
I made this on Tuesday when some girlfriends came round for dinner and it was a big hit! So very simple to make and incredibly creamy and chocolatey. I poured it into some dainty tea cups I inherited from my Granny and we ate it with spicy chocolate cookies which gave the whole thing a very sophisticated air!
OM NOM NOM NOM!!!!
Just made it. I doubled it. It will be perfect in the chocolate banana cream pie I am making for Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law used to make a banana cream and a chocolate cream for family gatherings. My husband loved eating them mashed together the next day.
With grandchildren who have peanut allergies I can rarely offer them chocolate desserts due to warning that chocolate may contain nut particles. I found that using two tablespoons of good quality baking cocoa and adding another two teaspoons of cornstarch allowed me to leave out the chocolate and still have an excellent chocolate pudding – now their favourite dessert. Thank you.
I love this recipe, it’s so easy and delicious but i can never finish all of it. I want to cut this recipe in half but i don’t have a 1/8 cup measure so i’m not sure how to cut the cornstarch in half. help please?
1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons!
You weren’t kidding – there is no need for any other chocolate pudding recipe – ever! I topped it with some candied clementines, which (in my opinion) makes it the perfect easy holiday dessert. Thanks Deb – as always!!
My hubby loves butterscotch pudding. I’m thinking perhaps I could make butterscotch sauce and use it in this pudding instead of the chocolate? Any reason why I shouldn’t try it?
Oh my! Those pictures are making my mouth water. I have got to make some tonight. This looks similar to the last recipe I used.
After almost 35 minutes in a double boiler the mixture was still not thickened, so taking on board the suggestions in the above comments, I poured it into a heavy based saucepan, stirring constantly – and it thickened in about 10 minutes. From the large amounts of comments above indicating the same problem, it’s probably safe to say you can just make this recipe starting in a heavy based saucepan over low-medium heat, ensuring you stir constantly to avoid the milk burning. Tastes beautiful warm on the spoon, so can’t wait to see what it tastes like tonight for dessert!
I have made this recipe several times, and I also do it with a double boiler. I’ve never had a problem. I just half fill a pot with water and put a small metal mixing bowl on top. Only takes about 20 minutes or so when I do it that way.
It’s a wonderful recipe by the way.
Yummy! I particularly love this for it’s simplicity. Sometimes a craving for sweet chocolate-y dreaminess comes on sudden-like, and this is my go-to pudding recipe, although generally it gets tweaked while underway with a bit of orange liquor or, as tonight, a little splash of this year’s hazelnut-coffee liquor and a spoonful of instant espresso granules.
As a few others have mentioned, this recipe doubles, uh, just fine!
I also use a single pot instead of a double boiler or double boiling setup. It’s not even a very heavy pot, but with diligent whisking and stirring, I’ve never burnt the milk yet. I use whole raw milk (scrumptious & local from a Jersey named Linden). I make a lot of yogurt, so I’ve learned to stir my milk a lot in order not to burn my yogurt-to-be.
Thanks for sharing this perfect simple recipe :-)
So this may or may not be a totally stupid question, but what exactly does 62% semisweet? I couldn’t seem to find that in the store, so I bought Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips. Will this work?
I absolutely LOVE this site! I found it last night and have made your 1234 cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting. YUM!
Happy new year!
Hi Alex — Semisweet chips should be just fine; 62% is the level of “cocoa mass” in a chocolate; more and it will be more bitter, less, it will be sweeter.
Oh man. This recipe is super easy and super delicious! Another amazing winning recipe from Smitten Kitchen!!!
Thanks, as always, Deb!
Everyone that’s having trouble getting it to thicken, try bringing it all the way to a simmer, or at least, until you see a few blorps and bubbles. Just like lemon meringue pie filling, or really anything else thickened with starch, bringing it to a simmer ensures full thickening power. Plus it’s a consistent mark instead of “until thickened”, unless someone knows the correct temperature, and you then use a thermometer.
I’m without a double boiler, but I tried to create one by placing a glass bowl on top of a saucepan filled with about two inches of water. Perhaps this is where I went wrong…
I stirred my “hot chocolate” around for about 45 minutes (I kept thinking… just a few more minutes an it’ll set!). After I finally admitted defeat, I took the advice of the many folks on the page who had the same problem… and what do you know… it turned out perfectly! I dumped my entire concoction into a saucepan, turned it on medium-low, and stirred frequently. Bingo! Ten minutes in, I had the perfect pudding.
Thanks for the recipe, and thank you also to everyone who added such helpful comments!
I’m new to your blog but felt I have to chime in! I grew up on my Nana’s and then Mom’s chocolate pudding – a not too sweet cocoa – cornstarch- sugar – pinch of salt and milk recipe made by mixing the dry ingredients – making a paste with the milk – slowly adding the rest of the milk and cooking over a low temp while stirring – start to end maybe 1/2 hour. — The hot pudding was put in small (back in the day) Fire King (Nana) Pyrex (Mom and me for my kids) dessert bowls with a round of wax paper on top til they cooled (to prevent the “skin” from forming) — I’ll soon be repeating the recipe for my granddaughter!! — and as for MARSHMALLOWS!!! They are really easy to make with a stand mixer – and nothing can replace the taste!! I’ve made hundreds by now – if not more – for friends – community events – my girls weddings (as well as their friends) always something everyone asks me to include whenever I bring dessert (I’m the baker in the family – so I always bring dessert!!) So back to the pudding – no double boiler needed – just keep on mixing!!!!!
Tried this tonight, quartered the recipe because of my caramel pudding fiasco and man was it good! I am never going back to boxed pudding. I used a makeshift double boiler, glass bowl over boiling water for the time you specified and it thickened perfectly (even with soymilk!). I used semi sweet chocolate chips, may splurge and use some fancy pants chocolate with some espresso powder for a special occasion mmmmmmm.
I just made this. It is absolutely delicious. My 3 children loved it too. Very chocolaty and perfect, smooth texture. It was a little liquidy. Maybe I didn’t cook it enough. I changed a few things from the recipe: Since I didn’t have whole milk, I used 2 cups of 1% milk & 1 cup of Half & Half. I also didn’t use a double boiler & cooked the whole thing in a pan directly over the stove. I will definitely keep this recipe & use it over and over as we are a chocoholic family!
I made it but it turned out way, way too rich. Woah. Thank you for putting up the recipe though!
I also found the problem of having no whole milk in the kitchen and made this pudding tonight. It came out beautifully and thickened up perfectly using this conversion that I found online.
For 1 cup whole milk use:
5/8 cup skim milk + 3/8 cup half and half
2/3 cup 1% milk + 1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup 2% milk + 1/4 cup half and half
7/8 cup skim milk + 1/8 cup heavy cream
I had skim and heavy cream, worked like a charm! This chocolate pudding is fabulous.
I loved this. It was so simple but so delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’ve used the boxed varieties of pudding from the grocery store (and so did my mom) ever since I can remember. Just recently, I’ve been trying to narrow down an allergy I suspect is coming from something in my diet, such as FOOD COLORING and/or PRESERVATIVES. So I checked the ingredients list on the side of the My-T-Fine variety (amongst other brands) and saw all the stuff I can’t eat if I really want to control my allergic reaction. Bummer. Chocolate pudding was the last thing I thought would be toxic to me… but I have to have it — I’m such a chocoholic! So I went searching for a simple recipe to make on my own and came across this one. I appreciate it more than you know — THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! :)
I made this pudding tonight with coconut milk because I wanted chocolate pudding and don’t have any milk in the house. Wow! There is a hint of coconut and it so rich and creamy.
I love this pudding recipe! Its so easy and delicious and it always turns out. My husband is very picky about pudding and he likes this recipe the best of any I have tried. I am currently eating off the skin because he doesn’t like it and i’m out of plastic wrap :)
Whipped this up late last night. It was fast and easy and def has some wow factor! Just sneaked a spoonfull so my kids wouldn’t see it before breakfast haha.
I have made this recipe twice (son has a huge sweet tooth). Both times made with half bittersweet/half semi-sweet, and cooked in sauce pan directly over heat. Came out great both times…will be my go to pudding recipe….thanks!
Funny, funny, funny. I love chocolate pudding. I cook for a living. I met my wife in Culinary School. I studied in France. Cooking defines me more than I define it. It has been my life. I have done so for 20 years. I run a kitchen at a resort. On one slow night, I made chocolate pudding for the two servers that were on duty. They loved it! It has become the thing of legend since them. I have heard them say “I hope it’s slow tonight so Thom can make pudding”. I took chocolate milk and added a couple Hersey bars and thickened it with flour like my grandma did. Whisked it over heat to just hot enough to thicken it. A splash of vanilla and I finished it with butter, as in, I took it off the heat and whisked in a little butter to make it rich. Let it cool. Whipped cream. TADAH! Chocolate Pudding. It was an emergency recipe invented to get me through the craving. Chocolate pudding is a recipe that can be compilcated to the point of not seeing the forest for the trees. I teach classes at the resort to our guests with the idea of taking the mystery out of food. A funny story, them I will let you to your blogging…
We make a berry dressing for a “Berry Chicken Salad”. It is made with fresh jelly that we make. As a manager and no longer a “cook”, I really miss cooking. I decided to help out over there and see how it is done. My mother never made jelly. It was a mystery to me. It just does not come up in the professional kitchen. We buy it. I thought it was Voodoo to make it. Some mystery held close by a secret society. I was told “Bring one pound of black berries to a boil with one pound of sugar. Strain it and cool it.” What? That’s it? Where is the secret hand-shake? Where is the Voodoo?
Point being, we have industrialized the recipes of our ancesters to the point that we no longer know where they come from. Micro waves and macaroni and cheese from a box have been around long enough for us to forget what they replaced. Making simple things like chocalate pudding from five or six ingredients is a wonderful return to simplicity with a much better end product.
I will try your recipe.
Keep cooking, tbb
Great pudding. Made it for hubby and guests and they all raved over it. Used 60% cacao bittersweet and 2 oz of sem-sweet and not a drop was left. Thanks
I saw the above comment yesterday, when it suddenly hit me that on Valentine’s day I am supposed to do something probably for the occasion. I had about an hour and a half from the moment I come home from work with three kids picked up from their kindergartens till our family dinner, so no proper time for chilling, and three kids to fight with (yesterday was also family day in Israel this year),so no proper time at all. Anyway, operating with one hand (the other was occupied by mommy demanding toddler) I whisked up the pudding from Carnivorelocavore, and it thickened beautifully, and chilled quickly, and was fast to make and delicious to eat.
I can’t compare the two recipes properly, because when I made Deb’s recipe I was short on milk, but had leftover butterscotch sauce from this site, so I subbed the missing milk with water, added the butterscotch sauce, reduced the chocolate amount, and it was gone before I could notice, leaving three little faces brown (ok, two grownup faces too).
I think Deb’s recipe was richer, but the above recipe is surely to consider when you are tight on time, or hands.
Thank both of you.
I made this recipe yesterday for Valentine’s Day and it was a big hit and tasted great with the 70% Scharffenberger chocolate that I used. However I think I cooked the milk mixture too long (17 min) because it was VERY thick in the final product — almost like a super-dense mousse rather than a creamy pudding. Next time I make this I’ll cook the milk mixture a little less! Thanks for posting this great recipe.
Carnivorelocavore — The issue is not a URL. For space considerations, I ask that people not leave full recipes in comments, rather explain what makes them different. Comment sections will quickly become stacks of tangentially related recipes otherwise, and few would actually inform other readers about the recipe at hand. I hope that clarifies.
Long time lurker, first time commenter. Made this yesterday for V-Day and it was a hit with my hubby! Since I do not have a double-boiler, I just did it right on the stove on a low-medium flame in a heavy-duty pot, stirring for 20-minutes. My hubby thought it was perfect, I thought it was a tad too sweet. Next time I’ll either make it with bittersweet chocolate or halve the sugar. And there will be a next time–and soon!
I have few precious hours to myself being as I’m 16 and spend most of my time in school. This pudding recipe is my new favorite. It took no time at all, didn’t take up a ton of space, since my kitchen is literally the size of a hallway, and it turned out amazing on my first try. Needless to say I loved it!
Ok – this is the BEST chocolate pudding ever! Told my partner I was making chocolate pudding and I was told there was no need to – the last time I made it it was not good! Anyway I made it and my partner raved!! Thank you!
I LOVE PUDDING :D
that looks great.
I was desperate for chocolate and we had nothing, so i made this using drinking chocolate powder so that i’d have something chocolatey to eat. absolutely amazing- dread to think how good it would be using real chocolate.
i also ate it warm as i couldn’t wait, and it was just amazing.
I was totally going to make caramel pudding tonight for the Nth time but then I thought, chocolate and I was so delighted. In case anyone wonders, I mixed milk chocolate and unsweetened because it was all I had and it worked just fine.
mmm just made this with 1% milk. And it’s so, so delicious. Makes my chocolate chips taste even yummier! I think I may have stirred the chocolate in too early as it never got thick, but I saved it! And now I feel like a real cook! I whisked in a teaspoon of cornstarch every few minutes until it got thick (took 2 and 1/2 teaspoons). Mmm so delicious, and it’s good for you too… right?
I’ve made this pudding a couple times and it usually works out well. However, after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a day or two, it starts to separate or something and I always find a layer of milk in the cups. Am I doing something wrong?
Kara — It might just be the nature of cornstarch puddings; I often find that. Well, that’s not true. I rarely have pudding that lasts more than a couple days but when I have, I have seen some puddles. I guess the cornstarch bonds can only hold it together so long? I am sure a food scientist can give us a better answer.
Had to try this after seeing your beautiful photos, and the many reviews! It was perfect! I was concerned about it setting up because we have only 1% Lactose-free milk & my intense chocolate pudding craving would not allow time for a grocery store trip! So, I used the 1%, plus whisked approx. 2 tbsp oat flour (wanted to use rice flour but was out) into 3-4 tbsp of milk (in addition to the milk in recipe) into a lump-free slurry, then added to saucepan. Didn’t need to strain it as I whisked the cornstarch with 1/2 of the milk into a smooth consistency before adding to saucepan. It thickened beautifully in just about 5 min. I just used Toll House semi-sweet chips (maybe a tad more than the 6 oz.) and also substituted approx. 2 tbsp of milk for 2 tbsp of the strong coffee we’d had for breakfast. Wow, what a deliciously satisfying & easy recipe! Thanks SO much!
I caught my husband making this at 4am.. when asked why he was making chocolate pudding at that hour, he responded, “Because I’ve lost control of my life”. Should I be concerned :(?
Delicious. Just what I was looking for in a basic pudding.
Even more amazing – crush up a few handfuls of amaretti cookies and mix them into the hot pudding – or just bury a few whole cookies in the bottom of individual dishes. They soak up the pudding and it’s terrific. Mary Ann Esposito has a recipe for “Crema all’Amaretto” in Nella Cucina that does just this, in a richer egg-based pudding that’s also terrific. Top the pudding with a handful of sliced almonds, too. Total winner with any chocolate pudding recipe.
My guy and I had a late-night craving for chocolate pudding. Why, I don’t know, because I’ve never made pudding before! Anyway, this recipe came through for me amazingly well. It was perfect in its simplicity. Thanks Deb, you saved the day yet again.
Cured our late night sweet tooth! I just loving finding recipes that use everything you (we!) usually keep on hand. Also, I used 1% milk and it turned out great! Also, I tossed in a couple cinnamon sticks to the milk mixture, which added a (very slight) cinnamon flavor!
I’ve been reading your blog for a while but have been hiding til now… I just made this and my pudding never thickened :( the only thing I did different was used a bowl on top of a pot o’ bubblin water since I don’t have a double boiler… might this have anything to do with it??
This is the finest chocolate pudding recipe. It’s so nice that there are no eggs in it. Thank you!
Just wanted to chime in that I also now make this regularly with 1% milk, and it’s still delicious. I don’t use a doubleboiler – just a saucepan – and it works just fine.
One caveat: do not think that a little extra cornstarch will just make sure that it sets up easily. You will end up with chocolate rubber.
OH MY GOSH I HAVE MADE THIS 3 TIMES THIS WEEK!!!!!
I didn’t even know I liked ‘pudding’ as its not really big in Australia. Death by chocolate pudding. Delicious.
I’m making this for tonight’s dessert using my own breastmilk (I pump the extra and store it in the freezer) because we don’t use cow milk much and we are humans after all, so human milk for the humans in our house. :-) Sure it’ll be tasty!
Dee Dee, that is hilarious!
Mine is in the fridge cooling right now!
Hannah,
Your so funny! The other day I was trying my own invented recipe of pudding and put a bit too much cornstarch, yup we had chocolate rubber! lol
Mine never firmed up, just stayed the same consistency as when it was hot. Any ideas?
Hello, Thank you for sharing this one! I tried it with fat free milk with Splenda and it turned out fantastic! Thanks again!
I’m a pretty preoccupied hiker and need to admit that I am anal about my tools. If there is one thing that I highly dislike, it’s when my tools break. That is why I always get quality equipment to outfit myself and be prepared for most anything the trail throws at me.
The first time I made this it was too sweet. I replaced the chocolate chips with straight up cocoa and it’s so good! It doesn’t look as pretty but hah, I don’t really care. It’s just as good as my favorite cook and serve Jello Pudding mix.
For the thickening issue: I didn’t use a double boiler but if I have troubles with my milk setting up I stir less vigorously so that a layer forms on the bottom, once that happens and is mixed in, it seems to thicken up just fine. Just make sure it thickens before you add the chocolate.
Regarding separation in the fridge – I have saved pudding (this recipe) in the refrigerator for a couple of days and had liquids separate out. I just heated it slightly in the microwave, stirred it a little, and it tastes very nearly like it was just made. I also just use a sauce pan, on the recommendation of my culinary arts major daughter.
I did this recipe and it’s so good! I was looking for a way to make pudding (I was craving it) without a big process and a big butt! this is amazing because it is so simple and it only took me a couple of minutes.
Amazing recipe 20 out of 10!
This is a wonderful recipe! 3 DAYS? Yeah right. On the third day I was making another batch. Thank you.
I just found your recipe. I haven’t made pudding in probably 30 years, but my daughter, who is expecting, had a craving. This was simple and absolutely delicious. Thank you so much!
Just made a batch. Did not use double boiler, just a saucepan. Came together and thickened quite easily. Can’t wait to taste…looks gorgeous. Thanks!!
(I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao…I use these for baking and I love them).
Wow! Chocolate pudding pie is my husband’s family’s tradition. They always use the box for the filling. I did it for the first time with your recipe for his 30th Birthday and it was fabulous. Never going back to the box. Thanks!
ok just shoved em in the fridge. I swear, i waited and waited and waited hoverin over the stove for the milk mixture to thicken- it just never would get as thick as the picture of the spoon that you have…….so after 45 minutes i went ahead and put in the chocolate cuz i was gettin frustrated and stirred for 6 minutes……then poured it in the little dishes and fridged em…..i am SOOOO hoping they will thicken up. i will give it more than 30 tho. The only thing i can think of is that i used 2% milk instead of whole. IS that why it wouldnt’ get thick? I followed everything to a T.
ok. i am a failure at pudding making. I spent forever on it and the end result was chocolate soup even after 11 hours of chilling time. :(
Just yummy! No double boiler just used my Le Creuset pot which worked perfectly. No lumps either. Just make sure you whisk the dry ingredients with a small amount of milk at first and gradually add the rest. It does take about 20 minutes to thicken. I read a lot who say they had trouble getting it to thicken. I used whole milk and it was thick before I added the chocolate. Maybe your not using a full 1/4 cup of cornstarch if you have difficulty with thickening. This is a keeper recipe for me.
I keep coming back here because I love this recipe soo much and I want to make sure other ppl enjoy it. With the many times that I used this recipe I learned a thing or to from laziness/forgetfulness. Make sure to mix in the milk, sugar, salt and cornstarch in together right away. Forgot the cornstarch once until after the first minute or so; it refused to thicken. Another time I didn’t add enough cornstarch and it stayed soupy. Milk can be really finicky so I don’t add the chocolate or vanilla until it’s already thick. If there are still issues with thickening maybe turn up the heat? Like I posted once before, if it isn’t thickening let the bottom burn a little bit and then stir it in. That usually does the trick. I do like the toasted milk taste.
If it still refuses to thicken . . .hmm I wonder how it would taste frozen O.o
I just made this last night for the first time…the reason? I needed to feed my chocolate craving! And this blew my mind! Fantastic, simple, delicious…perfect!
I kind of rushed this lastnight when my guy was over, and cooked it directly in the pot, instead of a double boiler, and melted the chocolate instead of chopping it, then whisked it into the thickened pudding, before chilling it for about half an hour.
It worked beautifully and he called it a “religious experience for a chocoholic.” I made it again tonight using the same method, only with chocolate chips that weren’t quite melted enough and solidified when chilled, which only added to the chocolate experience. Best pudding ever.
OMG, this was wonderful. I made it with skim milk and did not have any thickening problems. I only had unsweetened chocolate on hand, so I added an additional quarter cup of sugar. Could have added an additional half cup of sugar instead.
I absolutely love this pudding, but I also had some trouble thickening. I made it 3 times last year with no thickening problems, and it was delicious! For some reason though this past month I have tried making it twice, the exact same way and it would not thicken at all! I finally tonight just put it at the end right into the saucepan on direct heat without using the double boiler, and it thickened right up within 3 minutes into the beautiful pudding I remembered. If all else fails, cook it without the double boiler
Thanks. I made this tonight. It’s not particularly thick, but then again I had some trouble moderating the heat. Either way, it’s absolutely yummy. Next time I’m going to make it without the chocolate; I’d prefer it that way (please forgive me this shortcoming.)
I usually don’t agree, let me tell you, yeast starter is complete worthiness. I have some is in my family for over 20 years, oh my god, it was amazing. Good bread, great pancakes, incredible muffin – I can’t imagine life without it. You can even leave it alone for months at a time, as long as you use all 3-4. Suggest you: I have many, I just into the city. Because of my container overflow, get rid of some now. If you want it, please let me know. Otherwise they will be in vain.
Made this for the kiddos last night…we all loved it! Thank you for posting this. Also, I kept tasting it during the cooking process and loved the vanilla flavor as well. So, I made a double batch and separated into half after adding the vanilla. I then just added the chocolate to the half-batch. Both were yummy!
I made this using half coconut milk and it was great. Also made it once completely in the microwave and it was excellent, though I rarely actually cook in the microwave this seems a good use for it.
just made this and mine came out with a few chunks, but after i strained it was flawless. So rich and so easy!! perfection!
Just made this tonight. Delicious!!! I love recipes that are classic but so much simpler than their mass-produced counterparts. Kept it on the double boiler for a bit longer than 20 minutes (maybe closer to half an hour to thicken?), used the Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet chips, and put in a few dashes of cinnamon as well. Didn’t strain or put into serving bowl(s), essentially made it a one-dish wonder with oh-so-easy cleanup.
Making this for the 3rd time this week; 2nd time was vanilla and this time chocolate mint (used 1% milk)! Didn’t use a double boiler, came out fine..Thanks!
YES! just what the monthly hormones wanted! made it with the bittersweet ghiradelli chips and whole milk. my mom’s like your mom, but this pudding has swayed her!
My kids didn’t know you could make pudding! (Neither did my wife.) Thanks for the great and easy recipe.
BTW, I only had 1% milk in the house, so I replaced about 3/4c of milk with sour cream. It thickened up well and gave it a really rich twang to it. I tasted it before I added chocolate and it would be great with just vanilla added.
Also, I was too lazy to chop chocolate and used about 5Tb of powdered cocoa. It worked fine and tastes great.
I never knew what pudding meant in America! Here (Australia) it’s not used much, I only knew of bread and butter pudding, rice pudding, and Christmas pudding- none of which are anything like your description. Oh, the things you learn! (Also: yum!)
Thank you to those who let us know you can use soy milk! Definitely will try it.
I just made this on Wednesday. So easy and delicious!!! I didn’t even have to strain and it came out perfectly creamy. I tried it with and without whipped cream and it’s great both ways, but decided the whipped cream addition made it more savory for me. Thanks so much, I am definitely adding to my recipe box!
Hey Deb –
Just thought I’d let you know that I made this a few nights back. I had a foray into your pudding pie, and decided I needed another chocolate hit, STAT! This was incredibly easy to make, and yeilded delicious results. I managed to somehow get lumps in it, but I’m going to blame being incredibly drunk when I made it and not smushing the cornflour into the milk enough.
I make a pudding much like this, but I have found that I can cook it in the microwave easily. Set at two minutes and stir after each two minutes. After a couple of stirs you will need to stir it about every minute. You will need to watch carefully near the end so it doesn’t boil over. Much less work than on the stove and no pot to scrub.
Thanks for the recipe: I was craving chocolate pud and this was wonderfully rich and smooth. I would suggest some changes, though: No need to heat anything on the stove in a double boiler – do it all with the microwave. If you heat the chocolate separately, then heat all the milk, sugar and salt to nearly boiling, then stir in the choc and then the corn starch mixed with a little cold milk, you cut out all the long, tedious stirring to avoid lumps. Once you have everything mixed together, heat until nearly boiling, stirring every 30 seconds until the pud is thick. Add the vanilla at the end, then chill.
Thought I’d report: made this tonight in a smallish Le creuset, with unsweetened almond milk and had life-changing results. Wasn’t thickening at first, so I turned up the heat just a smidge — this was before adding the chocolate. It behaved beautifully after that, set up nicely in 30 minutes, and impressed everyone!
Topped it with whipped coconut milk (one chilled can plus a few tbsp confectioner’s sugar and a little vanilla, whipped in my stand mixer on high) and chopped roasted salted almonds. I have never had such intense feelings about a pudding. Ever.
Thank you.
I had a craving for chocolate pudding this receipe is easy and delicious I used 1 1/2 c of half and half and 1 1/2 c skim milk. Reminds me of the My-t-fine pudding from my childhood.
Thank You for sharing
Hi! I used this recipe for my blog – second recipe I’ve taken from you – Thank you so so so so much for having the easiest to follow recipes. This pudding was delicious btw…six servings..ha…there are two of us, there is about half a bowl of pudding left. Ah well.
The pictures look delicious!!
I’m making it right now with soy milk, and am planning to put it in a tub of store-bought chocolate pudding my dad bought and see if he will be able to tell I did that, hee hee >:)
I’ll prove to him vegan pudding is just as good!!
Deb, love your blog – we use your recipes all the time. Also love this recipe. Question though – if you use egg yolks as emulsifiers (much like you would in making a custard), can you leave out the cornstarch? Or do you think you’d still need the cornstarch to get it to thicken up?
Thanks!
Jason
You can. It would be, indeed, a custard, not a pudding but that’s just semantics. I can’t say how many but there are a lot of egg yolk-only chocolate puddings around if you search a bit.
Hi Deb! Ok, just to get this out of the way, I love your website and the cutie-pie’s photos just like everyone else. (I show Jacob’s pictures to my Mom when she is feeling down-he makes her smile.) On to this pudding! I had three cups of whole milk burning a hole in my fridge (mixing metaphors is my speciality!) and tried your wonderful recipe. But (of course you knew a “but” was coming) I made it in the microwave on 60% power, stiring every 5 minutes. Worked like a charm. Also added a few drops of almond extract and a couple dashes of cinnamon. Yummy! Thanks again for a wonderful (EASY) recipe!
One last comment – regarding Troggy’s note above about mixing the cornstarch – I took a page from Chinese cooking and make a slurry out of the cornstarch and a small amount of the milk. Stir until all the cornstarch is incorporated and then add to the rest of the milk and sugar. Just a suggestion.
Delicious pudding! Made this with my 7 year old…she loves to help in the kitchen. Used 4 tbsp of cocoa pwder instead of chocolate, though, because it’s what we had in the house. Turned out fabulous! I was a bit sceptical as I had never had pudding that didn’t contain eggs (or at least yolks!) Or butter, but this was delicious! Definitely will be making this again!
Very good! We’re all lactose intolerant in our house, so I used 2.5 c of almond milk and it turned out beautifully! I’ve been craving pudding a lot this pregnancy and instant mixes don’t firm up with almond or rice milk, so I have to make it from scratch or buy premade soy pudding, and this was totally worth the time and effort!
I just made a quadruple batch! My coworker requested chocolate pudding for his birthday celebration at the office. The cooking worked like a charm and the chilling is underway.
I didn’t have any whole milk in the house, so following a substitution guideline I found (1 c. whole milk = 1 c. skim + 2 T butter) I supplemented the 3 c. of skim with 6 T of unsalted butter. The mixture thickened up perfectly, and the pudding is delicious!
Thanks so much for this recipe!!! I am 8 months pregnant and craving pudding, but don’t have any “box pudding” in the house. This sounds like what I have been looking for anyways!!! Thanks you, love your site :)
LOVE this pudding. And I’m not a huge pudding fan, normally! Just wanted to let you know that I linked to this recipe on my blog; I made a Coconut Almond Graham Cracker Crust and used this divine pudding as the filling. The pie went in about three seconds at my in-law’s house. Huge hit! http://fullbellysisters.blogspot.com/2011/04/easy-as-pie-coconut-almond-graham.html
I made a half batch of this the other day with 1% milk and a combination of the dark chocolate we keep on hand for eating and some unsweetened baker’s chocolate. It was absolutely delicious! I followed the recommendations from other commenters and made it directly in the pan over medium-low heat. Cooked in 10-15 minutes and got nice and thick.
Today I made a half batch in butterscotch, and half in dark chocolate, and have layered them in ramekins. It’s cooling now, but having licked the pans clean from both batches I have great confidence that it will be fantastic!
I made this tonight with potato starch instead of cornstarch – it being Passover and all – and it turned out perfectly. So I’m declaring this the ideal Passover dessert, maybe after chocolate matzah crack (and the recent jelly roll cake looks great too; I might try that tomorrow).
Best. Pudding. Ever. It’s a great showcase for a high quality chocolate. The chocolate flavor really shines through.
I made many ‘changes’ (mistakes) and it came out amazing! I miscalculated the chocolate and went a little too light but I used dark chocolate so it’s still very chocolatey. I doubled the recipe but only had 4 cups of milk and HAD to use whipping cream for the last 2! Oh no! I also only used 3/4 cups of sugar because my tastes in pudding tend to be a little less swear than most recipes. It’s still setting but I licked the bowl spoon and measuring cup and it was perfection!
mmm!!! It’s cooling right now but i saved some of it to try it warm. SO GOOD!!! I’m obsessed with your pudding recipes, i LOVE that they dont use eggs :)
Yummy! I just made this for my choco-holic-husband and I, and it was outstanding. It reminds me of my grandmother’s “chocolate gravy”, which she would always make for us on Saturday mornings, ladled over freshly made buttermilk biscuits that had been torn into chunks. Nothing better, IMHO.
hi, i’m Hana from Egypt. i’m only 15 years old but i truly love cooking. you inspire me and you help me keep moving forward. THANK YOU! :D
i did this recipe today for the whole family and they absolutely loved it.
great post. you inspired my most recent post about this delicious pudding recipe. thanks! http://www.chefdanielbrooks.com/photoblog/?p=2292
Thank you! So simple and incredibly delicious. I made this for my daughter and her friend. Both girls were squealing with delight. Thank you!
SO YUMMY.
I am 33 weeks pregnant and made this in about 15 minutes when I suddenly had a craving for chocolate last night (which is a new thing for me, I do NOT have a sweet tooth!). I didn’t use a double boiler nor did I strain. I cooked the first step on medium heat while whisking in the beginning, then with a wide wooden spoon, then added the chocolate chips when it was almost at boiling point. I whisked for another 5 minutes until it was at boiling point on low heat. Poured and ate, and it was lovely! I think I’ll add a fewer chocolate chips next time, I used 2/3 cup and I’ll try 1/2 cup next time, I like “light chocolate”. Anyway, a really fabulous quick recipe I was able to make with ingredients I already had! I had one serving with breakfast (ok, well really it was FOR breakfast) this morning. This is recipe I will come back to again and again.
This recipe didn’t work for me. It wouldn’t set, so I added an egg yolk (tempered, after mixture began to thicken) for silkiness and just made it in a pot so it could get hot enough to thicken properly. It doesn’t need to be coddled on a double broiler and goes much faster if just done in a small pot. You just have to stir the whole time.
This turned out wonderful. THANKS! I used skim milk since that’s what I had at home. It took less than 20 minutes though, and I skipped the double boiler or the straining. My husband nearly licked the bowl clean.
Great idea! I didn’t have whole milk on hand, so I used 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 of fat free milk. I used the only chocolate on hand, 73% bittersweet, and therefore added 1/4 cup more sugar, since I’m a bit wussy about dark chocolate.
I also skipped the double boiler and it worked just fine on low heat.
Thanks for the recipe and for meeting my chocolate craving. Seems like you’re designing all of my food lately!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have a gluten intolerant friend & I’ve been looking for a pudding recipe without flour that I can use to make a Halloween treat for her upcoming halloween party. This is perfect!
For some reason my pudding never “set”. Even after 14 hours in my fridge, the most it ever came to being pudding was a thick (think whipping cream) chocolate milk. I made it twice, just to make sure I wasn’t doing something wrong, but the second time it was still bittersweet chocolate milk. I think I’ll have to stick to Jell-O.
This IS the best chocolate pudding! I have not been in the mood to bake lately (I think I’m still mourning the end of peach season) but I still wanted something sweet, but easy. It so happened that I had a 6oz bag os Sharf’s 62% chocolate chunks. Based on some comments about setting, I reduced the milk to 2 3/4 cups and slightly heaped the 1/4 cup of cornstarch, (maybe 1 tsp more). I cooked it right on the stove and had no problem; I just whisked it the whole time. Turned out perfect. I don’t think I would have had a problem by sticking to the recipe. I think you just have to bring it to a boil, lower the heat, add the chips and stir them in (it will start to bubble again in a minute) then remove from heat and continue whisking until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and you’re done. Too easy..and so smooth! This is a good one, Deb. Thanks!
HA! I see I already commented on this once before. Too many recipes later, I guess I forgot! It’s still the best!
This recipe is amazing. I was a little concerned about it not thickening because of the double boiler thing, but it came out smooth and perfect every time. (I made several batches after the first one came out so spectacularly). I also cheated with a stainless steel bowl over a pot of boiling water because I don’t have a double boiler. Still came out beautifully. I used the store brand semi sweet chips and it tasted amazing. The first time I just added them as the recipe instructed, but I found it came out smoother if I melted them first. (just in the microwave for 30 seconds with a little milk or your favorite complimentary liqueur. Amaretto worked well.) Anyways. It’s amazing and will be my go to pudding recipe from now on. Love it! I’m not even a fan of skin, but the skin that formed on this was delicious and I didn’t mind it.
It sure is something, a little simple pudding recipe generates 2 years worth of comments. Pudding is the very first thing I ever cooked and it is still a great joy. Skip the double boiler, don’t need it, skip the eggs too but they make a tasty addition. Keep it simple, lick the spatula when you’re done and for God’s sake DON’T TELL THE KIDS.
I saw this recipe when you first posted it but then life intervened and I didn’t get the chance to make it. Tonight, however, I really wanted chocolate pudding… so I came back to find this recipe again. I skipped the double boiler and just whisked it on medium-low heat the entire time. I used 60% Ghirardelli and then added 1/4 cup black cocoa at the end. It is DIVINE! I wonder if it would set well enough to be used in chocolate pudding pie? As it is, I will not be going back to the box!
I made this last night and it was delicious but never set. Then I read online, this morning, that someone who had this same problem just put it back on the heat until it thickened- SUCCESS!!! I licked the bowl, I licked the whisk, I even licked the freaking sieve. This was beyond easy (never used a double boiler and used 2% milk, next time I will just wait a lot longer for it to thicken) and I want to eat it every day.
Okay, I know you already have enough comments on this recipe, but I just made the pudding and have to say how awesome I think it is. I’m making a black forest trifle and don’t even usually bother with touches like homemade pudding for that, but I don’t have any instant on hand and need the dish for a dinner tonight – so I looked and found your recipe. I was expecting something “as good as” and got instead a bowl full of chocolate goodness! Very fun, and thank you so much. I think it will very much make a difference to my trifle, and I can hardly wait to taste it! <3
P.S. no double boiler, plenty of stirring!
This is fantastic! For those who don’t have a double boiler, you can make one with a saucepan with 2″ of gently simmering water and another bowl on top (caution: you may want to wear oven mitts when handling the bowl on top since it tends to get hot). I found this about a week ago and have made it three times already. My husband seriously can’t get enough of the chocolatey goodness! I add a vanilla bean and about 2T of chopped raw cacao to add to the flavors & I’m planning on experimenting with different additions to make flavors other than chocolate. Thanks for the great recipe!
I just made the fudge pops and as I was “cleaning out” the pan I was commenting to the kid and the Mr. “this tastes just like pudding” “Yum, I should just not put this in the freezer” Well, you never disappoint me…of course you have a simple pudding recipe! I am going to make this one now! Oh, and I did put the pops in the freezer to enjoy tomorrow.
yummy im defo going 2 make more!
hi deb! i just wanted to thank you for this recipe! i make it all the time and its everything you promised…crazy simple and crazy good! my boyfriend doesnt drink milk so i often make it with almond or soy milk and last night, i steeped chai tea in the milk first…and we ate chai chocolate pudding!
Can I use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch!? Cant eat the corn! let me know! trying to make for thanksgiving!
this was so rich and hit the spot. i made it because none of my leftover thanksgiving desserts had chocolate and that was not going to cut it the evening before i had to go back to work. i did have to put it straight on the stove, but after that, it thickened up right away.
YUM! Insanely rich, made with raw milk and some Hershey’s chips. Too rich for the kids though, so I’ll just eat and eat and eat ;-) Oh, and it was super simple too!
I wanted a quick and easy chocolate pudding recipe to use up some milk I had in the fridge and this was perfect, thank you! I did start with a double boiler but encountered the same problem as a few others above – after an hour of stirring, it was no thicker than when I started. So I put it into a pot directly on the heat and in less than 5 minutes, I had me some pudding. Yay!
Thank you! This was soo rich. I don’t want to think how many calories I packed on… ;) I did a little modification: I don’t have a double boiler and I am an expert at burning milk. So I did the whole thing in the micowave in a glass bowl. After I heated the milk I added all the ingredients and cooked for total of about 5 or 6 min. I stopped the microwave every 30-60 sec to stir and watched it like a hawk to prevent pudding from running out of the bowl. It worked out perfect! The key is to use a deep enough bowl to have time to catch your milk/pudding when it starts rising.
I used Toll House semi-sweet chips, but I think I’m going to experiment with other types of chocolate in the future or skip the extra sugar. I thought it was a bit too sweet with those, but it is a question personal taste.
I made this pudding and followed your directions, but it didn’t set after chilling in the fridge. :( Wonder what went wrong?
Just logged on to look for a simple home made favorite. Thank you for taking the time to post these mouthwatering fotos…off to make this now! Yum!
Just made this pudding ant it was smooth and tasty! Thank you so much for your recipe.
Love this recipe. I make it in a saucepan with coconut milk beverage, scharffenberger bittersweet dark choc baking chunks, a sprinkle of cardamom and some orange zest. Top with fresh whipped cream (splash of kahlua!)… Doesn’t last very long.
I love tapioca, so I substituted pearl tapioca for cornstarch. Just soak the tapioca in warm water for 20 min, drain and add the pearls to the mixture. Perfect!
AHHhhhh, I made this and it turned out all wrong! :-( I cooked it over the simmering water for 30 minutes but it never got super thick. I figured it just need to sit in the refrigerator but six hours later it’s still thin. And worse than that, it doesn’t taste good! I’m sure I must have done something wrong… any ideas?
I had massive problems with this recipe. It did not set. Waste of time.
You must be talking about Dorie Greenspan’s recipe, right? I tried that recipe with the back & forth between the saucepan and food processor.. and it was such a huge, annoying mess! And makes a tiny scrap of pudding. I thought it was delicious though. You didn’t like it? Wasn’t too pastry creamy for me, even if it is one. haha I’ll try this recipe next time I make pudding. thanks!
I made this recipe once before and, as some people have commiserated in the comments, it didn’t set. Not sure why I decided to take another crack at it but this time I made certain that I let that pudding simmer until it thickly coated the back of a spoon. It took me upwards of 25 minutes to get it there. I now know that the first time I removed it prematurely. Keep it going. You’ll get there and it’s delicious.
Made this with 2.5 c 1% milk, .5 c heavy cream. Had the same problem others had — still wasn’t near set after 30 minutes atop my makeshift double boiler. I poured it out of the double boiler and into a regular saucepan and within half a minute it was setting up. Two minutes of whisking later and it was perfect. Saw other commenters say this worked with a heavy enamel pan, but it also works in a plain metal saucepan from Target.
I also used a mix of 3/4 Nestle semisweet chips and 1/4 Ghiradelli 100% unsweet choc, and it worked fine. Initially there were some grainy flecks but it eventually came out smooth, creamy, and delicious. Just keep simmering and whisking!
Amazing photography….absolutely love it. Wish I could take photos like these of my little darling :)
The only thing easier is making it in the microwave!I have been making pudding in the microwave for years. Just stir every 2 min at first, then every minute til thickened. Beats standing over the stove and eliminates the chance of scorching.
I made this today and it was super easy and so delicious, especially when it was still warm. It firmed up a bit more than I expected in the refrigerator. I’m wondering if it will soften up if I let it sit at room temperature. I used about 2 cups whipping cream and 1 cup 1% milk – maybe that has something to do with it. I’ll definitely try this again with whole milk.
Delicious and dreamy! My girls loved eating this for their Valentine’s dessert. We had the lasagna from this blog (phenomenal) and this for dessert. I served it with fresh whipped cream and a beautiful red strawberry. My pudding thickened up great, but I didn’t rush it on the stove top. I was making “epic lasagna” for goodness sake-I wasn’t leaving the kitchen anytime soon.
I used bittersweet chocolate and cut the sugar just a bit. Yum!
I don’t know if anyone wrote this, but I just put all of the ingredients (other than the chocolate and vanilla) into a big pot, turned it on high and whisked like mad and it started to boil and get thick quickly. Then i added the chocolate chips, whisked until melted, turned off the heat, added the vanilla, and it turned out fine.
Another amazing recipe from your site. Seriously, how do you do it? Everything I’ve tried to make so far from your blog turned out super delicious. By the way, I used fat free milk for this (and last time for the vanilla pudding from your site) and it worked just as well. So good!
Success! I actually had a bar of really crummy chocolate I was given at Christmas that I didn’t want to just throw out, so I started plotting ways I could repurpose it to hide its poor quality. Chocolate pudding came to mind, so I just threw this together on my lunch hour. I threw in some higher quality chocolate chips and some extra cocoa powder to up the chocolate factor. I looked at the crummy chocolate wrapper after I chopped it up and threw it in and saw that it said “chocolate flavor”. I wasn’t even sure if it would turn out due to all the other junk that was in there. It worked! I’m sure it would be even better with the good stuff.
I just made this – I’m feeling better enough to cook tonight after not being able to do much for the past 13 months or so. Collaborated on the meat and potatoes w/my sweetie, but looked here for a pudding recipe that we actually had the ingredients for in the house, b/c he *asked* for dessert.
I did it just on the stove w/o the double boiler, and it took about 14 minutes from start (putting the pan on the heat) to finish (putting in the vanilla extract). I added about 2 T butter and about 1/2 tsp peppermint extract after the vanilla and used Hershey dark chocolate Kisses (all we had), plus 1 T Hershey Special Dark cocoa powder (again, all we had – need to do some *serious* pantry refilling!!!).
We had to make ourselves stop ‘testing’ so we could try some chilled! I love your blog and have requested your cookbook for Christmas. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your recipes and for making *our* worlds a tastier place to live!
I made this for the second time and I was feeling lazy, so I didn’t use a double broiler. It worked like a dream and so much faster. I’m not even sure if I can tell a difference. Anyway, just wanted to pass that along.
Delicious, as always. Thanks Deb!!
I don’t really understand the point of buying boxed chocolate pudding mix. Yeah, it tastes the same as your average pudding recipe, but that’s because it’s just sweetened, flavored cornstarch. Why pay the extra money for something you can mix up in seconds?
That said, anything with this lovely chocolate in it instead of the basic cocoa/sugar/cornstarch/salt/vanilla will certainly be better than My-T Fine.
I just made this — wonderful. I poured this into 5 dessert cups and ate the rest from the cooking bowl. My husband is out cutting grass so I may eat another bowl before he comes in — he wouldn’t know there was supposed to be 6 . . . Smooth, silky and super easy. I used a large sauce pan and stainless steel bowl for my double boiler and it worked like a dream. I normally use a recipe using cocoa powder, but I ran out so I searched for a recipe. I also, used 2% milk (that’s all I had) and semi sweet chocolate chips (store brand). Amazing — I followed the recipe and it was really easy. This is now my favorite pudding recipe. Thanks so much!
I tried this recipe last night with my fresh cows milk, all I can say is WOW, Thank you so much for posting this recipe, it was amazing & very very easy!!!!
I didn’t have any vanilla so we used Jim Beam instead.
Tried this last night, and while at first it didn’t set up, I followed some of the other tips on here to do it directly on the stove–perfect! I suspect it has to do with using a glass bowl rather than metal in the double boiler. I was using glass since I don’t have metal, and glass is a poor conductor of heat, whereas metal is good. That’s my hunch, anyway. I had some for dessert w/ my lunch, with some whipped cream mixed in, and can’t wait to get home to have some more!
So excited to try this myself. Sounds delicious and I love the simplicity and hassle-free factor.thanks for sharing
My daughter requested chocolate pudding for dessert tonight and I knew just where to come because I love your recipe for vanilla pudding, and I was SO RIGHT! Your recipe was spot on… so delicious, not heavy, and on top of that, SO easy! Diabolical! ;-) Thank you very, very much, Deb!
Heh… I was just looking through my mom’s old recipes while searching for pudding recipes and realized that this was the exact same recipe my mother used to make me when I was little. :-)
I just made this because I needed a little sweet shot and it is truly delish! I used unsweetened chocolate so it wasn’t very sweet and then made a rhubarb-ginger compote. It was so yummy! I had just picked the rhubarb from the garden this morning.
The texture of this recipe was really great. I’ve tried some others that either called for less cornstarch or use arrowroot powder and the consistency is always goopy, slimy or rubbery. This was like real/regular pudding. The changes I made to this based on what I had were unsweetened vanilla almond milk, two ounces unsweetened chocolate, four tbsp sugar, and no vanilla. I just threw everyone into a sauce pan and whisked very quickly on medium high heat until it was thick. Thanks!
I love your blog, but I didn’t care for this recipe. I really enjoy the eggs, and more custard like pudding. I can taste the corn starch. And it is such a highly processed ingredient that really shouldn’t be eaten. I think I will stick with the other recipes. Thanks though!
I followed the recipe exactly but my pudding never set and is still soupy after 2 hours being in the fridge…
This was simple and superb! Who knew pudding-from-scratch could be so effortless? I will NEVER go back to the box.
I had a dinner party the other night and I was looking for a simple recipe that might wow people. I just discovered your blog about a month ago and have been reading it and drueling over the recipes. (my favorite pastime is to read cook books) Anyway, I’ve made chocolate pudding from scratch before and when I saw this recipe it reminded me of how easy it was.
I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate, so I used semi sweet. I didn’t use a double boiler, I just cooked it over the stove and stirred constantly. I also added Amaretto instead of the vanilla. OMG – over the top!!!! The women I had over were so full from my dinner, that they didn’t eat the desert. So there I was “stuck” with 6 servings of home made chocolate/amaretto pudding. I made it Friday night and finished it last night. It was tough, but someone had to do it.
This recipe is definately a keeper!!! Thanks for tweeking/sharing it!! I”m trying to think of an excuse to make it again. I’m having a gentleman friend over Friday night. He just might get this for desert. Hopefully I won’t get “stuck” with it all again!! But if I do, I’ll suffer through. :-)
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME recipe. I was nervous to try it out, but I halved it (only serving myself and the birthday boy) and it worked out perfectly! Sooo easy to make! and such little ingredients. Home-made hands down. Thanks! :)
This recipe can be implemented without so much work. Put all but 1/2 cup milk in a pan and bring to just short of a full boil. Meanwhile, mix the corn starch and 1/2 cup milk, sugar and chocolate together and add to hot milk and it will quickly thicken (20 seconds or less). Takes a lot of time and effort from the recipe with the same results.
Chocolate Pudding – the ultimate chocolate comfort food. I should make some soon! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! Just made it, and the pudding is currently cooling down in the refrigerator…tasted it…and it was beyond amazing…will certainly be making it again!
Absolutely wonderful! Made it for the first time for my boyfriend who has been my friend for 36 years. Something we always talk about our mother’s making for us growing up ( and yes the skin is the best part). He loved it. Something you eat with the one you love, you couldn’t have been more right. Thank you for sharing.
Just made this and boy was it fast and easy. Really had the water boiling in the bottom part to get the milk to thicken. Did things in the kitchen and gave it a stir every few minutes. Once it coated the spoon, added the chocolate and it was just a few minutes after that. Thank for such a simple recipe. Going to serve it with raspberries on top.
Deb. OH. MY. GOD. I think this might have been the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. (I tried really hard not to type that sentence, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a better way to describe my feelings.) I seriously started laughing (out loud and to myself) after I tasted the first bite. It was that good. Amazing. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Just the other day I found an ice cream bar recipe that uses a vegan chocolate pudding base that contains avocado. Someone might like to try making THAT chocolate pudding! I haven’t tried it, but I am a chocolate pudding lover, and am intrigued by the thought of the avocado.
http://www.veggie-wedgie.com/?p=1505
Vegan Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream Bars
dipped in white chocolate
As for the Silky Chocolate Pudding…As soon as I buy some milk I’m going to make it. I may even put the pudding in the fridge in a 9×12 pan so there’s more “skin” to enjoy! Ohhhh, heaven….
I make a similar pudding, but even simpler. I mix cocoa and sugar in with the cornstarch instead of adding semisweet chocolate. Cocoa is cheaper. :P
Also, I make it with almondmilk (I’m completely dairy–and gluten–free at the moment) and it turns out great!
P.S.- I’m soon going to try the avocado pudding!
My hubby loves pudding. I can’t wait to whip up a batch and surprise him with it in his lunch pail. Thanks for the recipe.
Mmmmm. Happened to have the ingredients at hand! I really enjoy your blog and your recipes are quite inspiring. I’m impatiently waiting for the pudding to set right now! Yum!
I cannot get this recipe to turn into pudding. It is delicious, but it will not thicken. I have no idea what to do. I followed the directions to a T. After about 6 hours in the refrigerator, it became the consistency of a thick gravy, but it would not get any thicker. I’m so disappointed, it tasted very good.
By your standards how thick should a pudding be? I found mine a lot drippier than does snack pack puddings.
sounds good!!!!!!
I think the problem many have with this recipe is because it’s thickened with cornstarch. When cornstarch is used as a thickener, the liquid must come to a boil for it thicken correctly, and it’s hard to get something to boil when you’re using a double boiler (sort of the point of a double boiler.) I’m not sure why you’d need to use a double boiler when there are no eggs in this recipe anyway. There’s no way it can curdle without eggs. Try making it in a saucepan, and make sure it bubble before you add the chocolate.
I made this tonight and it came out so soupy! I used every ingredient, can someone tell me what I might have done wrong? It’s delicious soup, though. Thinking of whipping some cream and folding it in so I don’t waste it- but I’d love to make it again and have it come out right.
well, i read someone’s comment to just reheat it in a saucepan and that seems to have done the trick! it’s now chilling in the fridge. also, just an fyi- in case i couldn’t salvage it, i took some of the soupy pudding and mixed it with some whipped heavy cream and it’s delicious that way too. it’s like mini mousses. thanks for the recipe!
Is there a secret to making pudding without cornstarch lumps? Because i was straining my brains out with this pudding. It was sooo good, but is there a trick for lumpfree pudding?
Jina — The straining didn’t remove the lumps?
I strained a little too vigorously, broke the lumps into smaller ones, and somehow squeezed them out of the sieve
do u use caster sugar in this recipe?
Sheen — I use regular granulated sugar. No reason you cannot use caster sugar, however.
It must be just me, but I’ve made this recipe twice now with disappointing results. The first time it just never thickened, and stayed a soupy chocolate puddle no matter how long I cooked it.
Last night I tried again, and while it set, I found it was way too sweet and the chocolate flavour was really flat (and I used NICE chocolate!). Then, to top it all off, this morning it had re-soup-ified.
Now I’ve got pudding on the brain, so I’m going to play around, but I cannot figure out what’s going on with this recipe!
I have made this many times and finally decided to post it to thank you about how awesome it is. You can use any type of chocolate and it will come out awesome!
This is sinfully good! It hasn’t even cooled down yet but I couldn’t stop eating it. I could see that there were a few lumps so I put it through the strainer, it’s silky smooth! I made it for my roommate, who just had really complicated wisdom tooth surgery, and he has to survive on this sort of thing for a while. I think it will be perfect! Thanks for you your beautiful blog, I can’t wait to try more recipes!
simple and delectable!
Just made this on Friday was unbelievably delicious!! I wanted it non dairy so I made it w good quality soy milk and a little extra cornstarch and it was so good I’m bookmarking this one. Yet another smitten kitchen winner for me.
Thank you!
Oh and I skipped the double boiler step and made it right on the stove had no problem.
Just made this. It’s super quick and delicious. I used Scharfenberger semisweet choc. I’m expecting guests any minute for dinner and they are going to love it.
Thank you for a great recipe.
11:49 pm just poured this into 5 pretty coffee cups @ 3/4 c each! Since it’s late I won’t have one until tomorrow, but the little tasting I did from the pan was sooo delicious! I haven’t had homemade chocolate pudding since my Mom made it for us as kids. Loved it then — and was always so sad there was never more than one serving until next time. Now I’ve got 5! This is my tester for a Thanskgiving dessert offering… with whipped cream of course. BTW, I’ve had this bookmarked for at least two years. I’m happy the link still goes to an active blog. Thanks very much! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Such a tasty pudding with a fantastic texture. Used whole vanilla bean instead. Doubled recipe and made a choco pie.
I was trying to find a way to use leftover whole milk after our Thanksgiving holiday family favorite ” Grapenut Pudding” since my husband is not a fan , I ask him what other kinds of puddings whould he eat.. I suggest bread? he responds chocolate, I suggest rice? he responds chocolate I suggest vanilla? he smiles and says chocolate!!! so I scour recipes.. all too complicated , and then ahhh…I’ve been smittened.. Easy and yum yum yum! :))
That last tip about the pudding skin is how to prevent the skin from forming, not make it form. To make it form a skin all you need do is leave it uncovered as it cools.
I found your web site because I forgot to pick up cook and serve pudding on Christmas eve and town is 20 minutes away! This was so easy and delicious. You do not need a double broiler, a regular saucepan is fine. the secret to no lumps is to stir constantly till it is done. Cook over medium heat till it boils before you add the chocolate and it will set up fine. I forgot the vanilla and it still tastes great. I only had dark chocolate available and it tasted wonderful!! Looking forward to serving it at Christmas dinner. I poured it into an oreo cookie crust and plan to add whip cream on top. Thank You for a great recipe. Merry Christmas!
This looks wonderful! I just tried a new pudding method extrapolated from Cooks’ Illustrated’s divine butterscotch pudding recipe. Enables one to skip the unpredictable “tempering” step, as well as the need for a double boiler. Now I will be making all kinds of puddings more often than we should be eating them. The chocolate pudding I just made may be my best ever, but it does contain a couple eggs, so I will try yours next. I have no issues with eggs, though, and it was fun to discover the way around the curdling/scrambling dangers. I LOVE your blog!
had a craving for chocolate pudding so I made this recipe. Was definitely amazing. I had a problem with it setting up but I think that is mainly because I’m at 7000 feet and I get very impatient when I cook at high altitude. I was wondering though why mine ended up being a light chocolate color. I used 6 ounces of very good 72% chocolate disks. It tasted like dark chocolate but has a milk chocolate color to it. Just curious.
Kids wanted chocolate pudding today and I found your recipe. YUM! It turned out perfectly and we will definitely make this again!
Help! I made this last night, but it never seemed to get thick. So, now I have this lovely, runny mess in a bowl in my refrigerator. Any idea what I did wrong? It seemed thicker in the pan than it is now. Can this pudding be saved?
I found a similar recipe last week using a sauce pan and cocoa powder and butter instead of the chocolate pieces. I made that. Family loved it. Today on a whim I bought a 6 oz bag of Scharffenberger semi-sweet chocolate pieces. Later I found this recipe. I have no idea what the percentage the chocolate was but I’m thinking it must have been close. The recipe was far superior with the chocolate bits than with the cocoa powder. My husband ate two bowls of it. I have to say that I agree with the other comments though, not sure why you need the double boiler. I think it would work fine in a sauce pan.
I just made this tonight – it was so easy to make, and so good. This is the first time I have ever made pudding from scratch, and I am so glad to have discovered how amazing it is!
I’m French and I’ve always wanted to tast chocolate pudding so when I found your article and all these great comments I thought: this is the recipe I want to try. Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea of the volume of a cup.
I looked for the weight of an once for the chocolate and I found it (exactly 28,35 grammes :D ), but the cup seems to depend on the country and I’m definitely lost. So if anyone has an idea of the volume of a cup (or time to measure it), it would really help me! I’m soooooo dying to try it!
(sorry for any spelling or grammatical mistake…)
I ran into this and immediately thought, “Hey, I have milk and chocolate. Nothing’s hindering me!” and cooked it. That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen a blog recipe and found myself cooking. And you’re right: this is simple, easy, and absolutely delicious. THANK YOU for sharing it!
Aria — I just added the weights … for next time!
Thank you so much!
I saw your answer and I jumped into my kitchen. An hour later (so hard to wait until it was refrigerated…) I could finally taste it and I must say, it was definitely not the last time I made that chocolate pudding…
Thanks so much for this. This is the chocolate pudding of my youth but with nearly 3 times the chocolate! Sometimes I look at older recipes and wonder how people survived in the old days with such minimal amounts of the good stuff. At any rate, you gave me courage – the last time I made pudding it did not thicken. So embarrassing since I’ve been cooking fearlessly for decades. I followed your procedure to the letter, nervous when it was not very thick after 20 minutes, but within 2 minutes of adding the chocolate it was just as nice and thick as could be. I used a large ladle to transfer it to the dessert dishes, but I think your idea is better. And for the person who wondered how it would be with low fat milk: I didn’t have whole milk on hand and used 1% and it worked just fine. It’s yummy and MUCH better than My-T-Fine!!!! Also I really appreciated having the weights – I often find it easier to weigh things than to use a scoop or measuring cup. Thanks again!
I rarely use the same recipe twice. After all, there are so many great recipes out there, and one life is too short to try them all. I’ve made this three times already, and I’m sure many more times are to follow. This literally is the best chocolate pudding ever.
I sometimes add a bit of espresso powder or use heavy cream instead of milk, dpeending on whatI have in my fridge.
I have made this pudding several times before and have always loved it. However I think it outdid itself this time. My husband has recently decided to become vegan, so I went to the store to buy some rice milk to use in place of the whole milk (I thought soy would be too strong a flavour in this case). However, at the store I spied a carton of hazelnut milk, which I have never tried but something in the back of my mind told me it would go nicely with the chocolate. I was right – it was absolutely delicious. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it was the most amazing pudding I’ve ever eaten! I highly recommend it for any vegans (or non vegans) out there.
It looks breathtaking !
Really going to try this one at home :)
Thanks!
That makes two easy pudding recipes, as I found a recipe for almond pudding that looks very similar, just swap the chocolate for chopped almonds and serve with raspberry sauce!!