The Classics: Vanilla & Chocolate Pudding
Few things remind me of childhood more than pudding. Watching my mom stir for what seemed like hours on end. Delicately spooning the mixture into bowls, making sure my brother and I got the exact same amount. Waiting impatiently while the pudding set in the fridge – always on the highest shelf to keep it out of reach from my greedy hands. The finger-swipe through the pot to tantalize my taste buds. A second, third and fourth taste. Finally getting to dig into to the chilled delicious pudding.
The best part about pudding is how easy it is to make. Pudding is the least pretentious, most comfortable dessert out there. It is so easy that you and your pudding-loving friend don’t even have to like the same flavor. Y’all just have to like taking turns stirring.
Vanilla or Chocolate? Few questions can divide a room quicker than this age-old flavor quandary. Have no fear though. These pudding recipes are so simple you can easily make both. So long as you cook them long enough, it is almost impossible to mess up pudding.
Despite being the same dessert, you’ll notice a few differences between the two recipes. One has eggs and one doesn’t. One uses real vanilla bean and one uses extract. More on these differences below. What you do get from both recipes though is spoon-licking scrumptious pudding. Whether you like vanilla or chocolate, a skin on top or no skin on your pudding, chilled or fresh from the pot hot pudding, you can have it with these recipes.
Cornstarch: These pudding recipes use cornstarch as the primary thickening
agent. A mixture using cornstarch will become its thickest at the boiling point. These recipes will call for your to bring the mixture just to that point. Avoid cooking or boiling the mixture much beyond this point as boiling cornstarch longer than a minute or so can cause the mixture to breakdown. Also, don’t try and cheat and use a hand mixer or immersion blender to save you some stirring; this rapid, violent mixing can impede cornstarch’s ability to thicken.
Vanilla Pudding: Anytime I make a recipe with vanilla as the star, I will use vanilla beans instead of extract. The flavor you get from a vanilla bean is far superior to what you can get from extract; it has a fuller, more natural vanilla flavor. You also get those little vanilla seeds which add a textural component and the distinctive dotted this-is-vanilla look. The vanilla pudding recipe uses eggs to help thicken and bind the pudding (the chocolate pudding recipe does not). Since it also uses cornstarch you can heat the mixture without worrying about cooking the eggs. You’ll still want to use a heavy-bottomed pot, stir often, and watch the temperature as pudding can scorch and lump easily.
Vanilla Beans While vanilla beans can be painfully expensive, they provide numerous benefits extract on its own cannot. In addition to the advantages mentioned above, a spent vanilla bean can be used again so don’t throw the pod away after removing it from the pudding. Rinse it and let it dry completely. Then place it in an airtight container with a few cups of sugar. Agitate daily and within a week or two you will have vanilla sugar. The smaller the ratio between sugar to vanilla bean(s), the stronger the vanilla flavor in the sugar.
Vanilla Pudding
This recipe is adapted from a Bo Friberg recipe.
Yield: ≈ 1 quart (6, 6 oz servings)
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Chill Time: 3+ hoursTools:
Large bowl
Paring knife
Heavy-bottomed 3 quart pot
Wooden spoonIngredients:
1 1/2 ounces cornstarch
8 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 quart milk
1 whole vanilla beanInstructions
1. Mix together the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until homogenous.2. Cut into the vanilla bean lengthwise so you can open it up like a book. Open the bean and use the knife’s point to scrape out all of the vanilla bean seeds into the pot. Place the pod in the pot as well.
3. Pour the milk into the pot and heat over medium, medium-high heat. Heat the milk just to the boiling point (don’t let it boil long) stirring constantly. This will take about 10 to 20 minutes. If you’re a nervous cook or know you won’t stir frequently, I suggest using medium or medium-low heat.
4. Once at the boiling point, temper the egg, sugar and cornstarch mix. Return the tempered egg mixture to the pot with the milk. Place the pot back over medium, medium-high heat and stir until the mixture is very thick and coats a spoon, stir constantly. This will take 10 to 20 minutes. You can bring this mixture to a boil as well, though do not let it boil long.
5. Remove from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean. Pour the pudding into bowls.
6. Refrigerate the bowls for at least a few hours, or until the pudding is chilled and set. If you don’t like skin on your pudding, place saran wrap directly on top of the pudding. If you like the skin you don’t have to do anything though you may want to cover the bowls if you have a lot of stinky things in your fridge. The pudding can absorb odors and tastes.
Chocolate Pudding: The recipe for chocolate pudding is similar to the vanilla pudding recipe except for the vanilla used, a lack of eggs and of course the addition of chocolate. Instead of using a vanilla bean this recipe uses vanilla extract. This is done for a couple reasons: 1. Since chocolate is the star, the vanilla only needs to highlight the chocolate flavor (this would be a waste of an expensive vanilla bean), 2. Because the milk isn’t scaled on it’s own first, the vanilla bean would not have as much time to impart it’s flavor into the pudding. You should still use a very good vanilla extract. And because the chocolate acts as a thickening agent in the pudding and helps bind everything together, eggs aren’t needed.
Once the chocolate is added, be sure to keep the heat low as a high heat can cause the oils in the chocolate to separate. If this happens you will have to start over.
Chocolate: I use dark chocolate in this recipe because it gives it just the right rich, chocolate flavor. As always, I suggest getting good chocolate as it will make a difference, especially in a recipe like this. Don’t use chocolate chips as many are made to withstand melting, and thus will not melt through the pudding properly.
Chocolate Pudding
This recipe is adapted from a Bo Friberg recipe.
Yield: ≈ 1 quart (6, 6 oz servings)
Difficulty: EasyPrep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 3+ hoursTools:
Heavy-bottomed 3 quart pot
Wooden spoonIngredients:
1 1/2 ounces cornstarch
8 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 quart milk
8 ounces 70% cocoa bar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractInstructions
1. Mix together the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Place this in a heavy bottomed pot.2. Stir the milk into the dry ingredients in the pot. Heat over medium, medium-high heat cook until the mixture is very thick and coats a spoon, stirring constantly. This will take about 15 to 25 minutes. If you’re a nervous cook or know you will neglect your stirring duties, I suggest using medium or medium-low heat.
4. Once thick, reduce the heat to low. Break the chocolate into small chunks and all to the pudding. Cook the mixture over low, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. This will take about 5 minutes. Chocolate is very sensitive to heat, so don’t try and cheat here with a higher heat.
5. Remove from the heat. Stir the vanilla extract in. Pour the pudding into bowls.
6. Refrigerate the bowls for at least a few hours, or until the pudding is chilled and set. If you don’t like skin on your pudding, place saran wrap directly on top of the pudding. If you like the skin you don’t have to do anything though you may want to cover the bowls if you have a lot of stinky things in your fridge. The pudding can absorb odors and tastes.
So, are you a vanilla fan or a chocolate lover? What is your favorite flavor of pudding?
Enjoy!
Love the video Russell!
Awesome video. Now I’m craving pudding!
Both the puddings look sinful but if I had a choice I would go for the chocolate one. That one has me drooling on my keyboard!
Oh and the video is great!
SO AMAZING*.* AND I LOVE THE VIDEO =)
I’ll take a bowl of chocolate! Please and thank you!
Beautiful Video!!!
Your mom is so beautiful!!
God this video is making me miss my mom so much more.. I hate distances..
Now b/w vanilla and chocolate, I think I will go for chocolate coz it is mom makes the best pudding right..LOL
But after eating a bowl of chocolate goodness I will end up eating vanilla too… I cannot resist that either..
Lovely!!
Fabulous video, Russell. I have always been a pudding fan (love the skin too ;-)) – While I love chocolate pudding, I can always go for butterscotch… or tapioca… or rice pudding.
I will take both!
Pudding isn’t something I ever have a craving for…until I watched this video! It was lovely.
beautiful video.
but what about butterscotch? :)
Your puddings both sound delicious, but I would have to go with the vanilla were I forced to choose ;)! It reminds me of when I was little. I love this recipe, because to me the vanilla bean is essential :)!
Love that video!
I also love pudding, it’s totally my vice. I can leave a plate of cookies or cake or pie sitting untouched but if there is pudding in the fridge I won’t stop eating it until it’s gone.
Ah craving both chocolate and vanilla pudding in the same bowl.
I love both puddings so much! Vanilla is my favorite though – so plain, and so delicious.
Looks absolutely delicious! I could so eat some of that right now! It looks amazing.
Do you have any extra vanilla pudding in the fridge? I’ll be right over…
They look just amazing! I am a big fan of puddings!
Thanks for commenting on my blog (raw brownie) I found your blog! Wonderful photos, great recipes and amazing videos. I especially love this one!
My boyfriend insisted on me making butterscotch pudding for him recently because it reminded him of his childhood so much. Now seems a good time to branch out into other classic flavours, so this is the perfect post for me. Vanilla AND chocolate pudding both sound (and look) amazing.
Great video Russell and I have such a weak spot for puddings. Be it Vanilla or Chocolate. Just love them both to bits. Now that I am older.. or getting old .. LOL, I have started to be addicted to butterscotch too, and with some scotch whiskey added to the pudding. However, nothing beats the classic.. Have a good week ahead!! cheers, Jo
well done on a great video and recipe.
I know how many hours go into a short video that people just watch and think oh cool! :)
beautifully photographed
enjoyed the post
Betty Bake
thanks……..now I’m craving pudding! lol
Beautiful video Russell!!
Lovely lovely pudding. So creamy and good!
Love the videos. I made a vanilla bean pudding last week, and I kept thinking to myself how I should do it more often because it is just easy and good food.
A childhood fav done so elegantly!
Thanks for stopping by! Can’t believe I only now saw your site – I am already in love with it. As for pudding, I’d be partial to chocolate – would adding some brandied cherries be over the top?
Loved the video! I would love to mix it up :)
Chocolate and Vanilla pudding are definitely childhood favorites along Rice pudding, they are so comforting to eat.
chocolate allll the wayy :) looks scrumptious!
I love pudding, but I’m sad to say I’ve never made my own (unless the jello mix counts). I’ll definitely be trying both!
My grandmother made chocolate pudding. I remember hers always had these little lumps in it that I found dubious, but I loved it none the less. And she always served it in dainty little glass sundae bowls and chilled it, yep, on the highest shelf in the fridge! I would so put cayenne in my chocolate pudding.
Wow! That looks incredible! Congrats on the Foodbuzz Top 9!
Two dishes in one post. Nice! Also, congratulations on making the Top 9!
love this! i’m now totally craving pudding :)
Who can resist puddings? Not me! This is my husband’s fave dessert, so if I made it now, I will be ‘the star’ at home!
Pudding is such a wonderful comfort food! And even though I LOVE chocolate, vanilla pudding was always my favorite as a child.
My mom was a package pudding cook. So I never really liked pudding. But scratch pudding? That’s good stuff, and something I enjoy. It’s simple and easy – just like your recipes! Good stuff. Thank you.
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Absolutely brilliant video Russel1. Couldn’t stop smiling watching it. Delicious and creative. Bravo!
I just love pudding. My husband loves to eat it hot with a little cream poured over the top. I’ve made other flavors, but never found one I like better than good old-fashioned chocolate!
I adore homemade pudding. Gorgeous pictures and great video!
Beautiful work! I love it. Now I want some puddin’…
beautiful story about sharing food even though we have different tastes… the video is cute!
I am for vanilla pudding, though they both look gorgeous and mouth watering…
Have a good summer
:-)
Roberta
I’ve always loved mixing the two flavors together. Not fully incorporated, just streaks of each going all the way through. :)
What wondrous food photography. All of the silverware and dishware adds a real elegance to an otherwise simple (but delicious!) dessert.
Oh I would have just loved to have been on the other side of you on that table spooning some of the chocolate pudding. ;o) I am a chocoholic and would be in that kitchen with your mum licking the spoons. Lovely video Russell!
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Dessert is the usually sweet course that concludes a meal. The food that composes the dessert course includes but is not limited to sweet foods. There is a wide variety of desserts in western cultures now including cakes, cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, pudding, and candies. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its natural sweetness.*,
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Sugar also contributes to the moistness of desserts and their tenderness. The flour or starch component in most desserts serves as a protein and gives the dessert structure. Different flours such as All-Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour provide a less rigid gluten network and therefore a different texture. Along with flour desserts may contain a dairy product.;:
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