Pudding In the Late Night Hours Calls for Chocolate
Life is on hold as we await the results of the 2020 presidential election. I swore I wasn’t going to agonize over the process leading to the final result. My plan was to ignore CNN, Twitter, WAPO, NYT…I decided to watch Hamilton for the umpteenth time, followed by my favorite K-drama. As they say…
The Best Laid Plans
A quick sneak peek at Twitter and I was hooked. It has been an agonizingly slow crawl to the finish as the Biden/Harris ticket chips away at the vote count in the battleground states. There I was tabbing back and forth between my K-drama and Twitter. At 2am I had to stop the madness, I resorted to my favorite stress-buster activity, COOKING followed by my second favorite stress reliever-EATING.
Win-Win
At that time of the night, I needed something delicious, and comforting. I had been eyeing a recipe in NYTcooking for a chocolate pudding made with oat milk. Many of my friends are dairy intolerant or vegan so I am always on the lookout for desserts that fit the bill. The fact that this pudding was quick and easy made this a no-brainer for my sleep-deprived, anxiety-riddled brain.
This pudding is so ridiculously easy and so incredibly delicious bookmark this post now. You will thank me. I used Planet Oat Milk but the recipe states you can use soy or almond, I’m sticking with oat milk. I used Dutch-processed cocoa which gives the pudding its intense dark color. You can use natural cocoa which will give you a lighter-colored pudding, either is fine. Whisk the dry ingredients together, cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly add the oat milk and then cook it over medium heat, STIRRING constantly so it doesn’t scorch and stays lump-free and smooth. I used TJ’s Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar which resulted in a rich, intense chocolate flavor. Experiment with different chocolates to change the sweetness and chocolate intensity.
Topped off the pudding with cocoa nib crumble from Manresa and I was in business. Yummy. I imagine an infinite variety of toppings would be lovely like softly Whipped Coconut Cream, whimsical sprinkles, flaked coconut, cookie crumbs, or fresh berries.
My little bowl of chocolate pudding did the trick, calmed my nerves, and gave me the courage to…GO TO BED!
Oat Milk Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) oat milk or soy or almond milk
- 3 to 4 ounces (85 to 115 grams) bittersweet bar chocolate finely chopped, I used TJ's Dark Chocolate, which is accidentally vegan 😉
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in the milk and stirring constantly until smooth and combined.
- Cook over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture continuously, scraping the bottom, sides, and corners of the pan, until the pudding thickens, begins to bubble, and coats the back of the spoon or spatula, 5 to 10 minutes. Careful to not let the pudding scorch on the bottom and corner of the pot, lower heat if it cooks too fast or starts to scorch.
- Add the chocolate and stir vigorously until the pudding is very thick and smooth, about 30 seconds longer.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Spoon the pudding into a serving bowl or individual cups or ramekins. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. It will thicken as it cools. Garnish with whipped cream, sprinkles or chocolate chips or cookie crumbles. Use your imagination!