Creamy Chocolate Pudding

 10 March 2021

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, September 2011

I have written about this recipe a few times in the blog but I have not described it in any detail, until now. A few weeks prior to making this I made chocolate pudding using a different recipe. Making chocolate pudding with two different recipes back-to-back allowed us to compare the two and to conclude which we preferred.

Vanilla and espresso powder were mixed together in a small bowl; I used one half of the amount of espresso powder listed in the recipe. Sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt were sifted through a fine-mesh strainer into a large saucepan. Egg yolks and cream were whisked into the mixture of dry ingredients then milk was added and whisked to combine. Over medium heat the mixture was cooked with constant whisking until thickened and bubbling over the entire surface. Off heat, butter and bittersweet chocolate were added and whisked until melted then the vanilla mixture was whisked in to the pudding. The pudding was poured through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and chilled for four hours. Total time, except for chilling, was 40 minutes.

This pudding is very easy to make. It has a great chocolate flavor and is very smooth and creamy. We found it to be creamier and more chocolatey than pudding made with the other recipe and it is certainly our favorite, especially given that it is not significantly more difficult nor time consuming to make.