I was watching a TV series on DVD recently, and in one episode, the characters ate a heck of a lot of chocolate pudding. They are so much that it kind of put me off of it. Now, don’t get me wrong because I do like chocolate pudding – I was just glad that had already eaten the chocolate chocolate pudding that I had made earlier in the week!
This pudding is just a little bit of a twist on a simple chocolate pudding recipe that I use as a go-to recipe. The pudding is made with milk and thickened with a little bit of cornstarch, instead of eggs. This means it is less fussy than some pudding recipes – no tempering of eggs required – and has a slightly lighter texture than some very heavy puddings that load up on egg yolks. It still has a good chocolate flavor, thanks to some cocoa powder and some melted chocolate that is incorporated into it. I’ve used it before in homemade Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding Cups. In this instance, the twist I’ve given it is a twist of mint. I added Chocolate Mint Bailey’s liqueur and a little bit of peppermint extract. The pudding is as chocolaty as ever, but has a refreshing note to the finish, as well as a hint of rich Irish Creme liqueur.
If you don’t have the Mint Bailey’s, you can substitute another chocolate liqueur, regular Bailey’s Irish Cream or just swap in some extra milk. The liqueur acts like a combination of chocolate extract and mint extract, in terms of the flavor it lends to the pudding, but a bit extra mint extract will help get the pudding to just the right level if necessary.
Chocolate Mint Pudding
2 cups milk, divided (low fat or regular)
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup Mint Chocolate Bailey’s liqueur
1/4 cup sugar
2-oz dark/semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp peppermint extract*
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk with cornstarch and cocoa powder until very smooth.
Pour cocoa mixture, all remaining milk, Bailey’s and sugar into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture just comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add in chopped chocolate as well as the vanilla and mint extracts. Stir frequently to melt the chocolate and keep the pudding cooking evenly.
Continue to cook pudding for 3-4 minutes, until pudding is thick and will easily coat the back of a spoon.
Divide evenly into 4-6 small dessert cups. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Dust with cocoa powder and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
*Note: If you aren’t using the Mint Bailey’s, increase the peppermint extract to 1/2 or 3/4 tsp to keep the mint flavor up in the pudding.