Milk Chocolate Pudding with Whipped Cream, Pretzels, and Peanut Butter Cups
The day I discovered homemade pudding was a dangerous day. It was the day I realized I was never more than about 15 minutes away from rich, luxurious pudding. It’s made from ingredients the average cook would already have on hand, so you are probably not more than 15 minutes away from homemade pudding heaven, either (yes, it’s goooood warm).
Homemade pudding is really nothing like the pudding-from-the-box experience. Instead of relying on gelatin for the texture like the boxed kind, this takes a cue from custard by using eggs for a richness that gelatin just can’t match. You don’t even need a full-fat milk for this, I regularly make it with 1 or 2 percent and I assure you- it is plenty rich. Then again I do like to finish off the batch with a pat of butter for a little deeper flavor and shine, so maybe that’s it.
I wanted something with chocolate and peanut butter for Rebecca’s baby shower menu since it’s one of her favorites, so I topped with chopped peanut butter cups (I used the Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups and they were divine), tiny little pretzels (from Trader Joe’s), and slightly sweetened fresh whipped cream. All the credit for the weird little babies peeking out of each pudding goes to Jordan who might just have that sort of thing on hand at all times. They are so creepy and I love them so much.
More from the Baby Shower Menu for Rebecca.
Milk Chocolate Pudding with Whipped Cream, Pretzels, and Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Pudding
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/3 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For topping:
- whipped cream
- peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
- pretzels, small or chopped
Whisk together sugar, pinch of salt, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk in milk and eggs, add chocolate chips. Slowly bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue whisking and boil 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Pass through a sieve to remove lumps if desired, or if the texture looks grainy or curdled, run through a blender or food processor until silky. Pour into individual or one large serving dish. Cool and press plastic wrap to the surface to prevent skin from forming, if desired. Place in refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.
