Eat Your Pudding

Abby: Is there any other way I can drink milk besides…drinking it?

Me: If by “drinking milk,” you mean “consuming an adequate amount of calcium so that your bones and muscles grow big and strong” then yes. To get the same amount of calcium you’d normally get in one cup of milk (300 grams), you can also have:

  • 1 9-ounce piece of baked perch
  • 15 cups of broccoli
  • 3 cups of raw kale
  • 3 ounces of canned sardines with bones
  • 1 cup yogurt  parfait
  • 2 slices cheddar OR…
  • 1 large bowl of chocolate pudding

Abby: Got it. One more question: Does whipped cream have calcium?

Basic Chocolate Pudding
Every time I make pudding I think the same thing. That’s it? It might even take more time to make Jell-O’s pudding from the box. Or put it this way: I don’t know how Jell-O’s could be faster than homemadeMakes 4 cups.

2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together milk and yolks. (I do this in a measuring cup to save a dish.) In a heavy medium saucepan, whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in milk mixture and turn heat to medium. Whisk until pudding thickens and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue boiling one more minute, whisking constantly so it stays smooth. (I wasn’t so great at that part, but whatever.) Remove pudding from heat and add vanilla extract. Divide pudding into bowls or containers and chill for a half hour and up to a week. Top with whipped cream, bananas, or graham cracker crumbles.

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22 Comments

Susan H

Agreed–pudding is soooooo much easier than it seems it should be. Also good for chocolate cream pie filling (my husband’s favorite). The only intimidating part for me the first time was wondering if it would EVER thicken…then, voila, it did!

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erinn johnson

I think I might have the only kids in America that do not care for pudding (and there are four of them). Perhaps I’ll give it another try.

As for box mixes of most items, I find homemade is usually just as easy, don’t get why people are so afraid of “from scratch”.

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Melissa@Julia's Bookbag

oh I tell you, it’s been a chocolate pudding day around here (a day in need of comfort food!) for the past 2 WEEKS. And I have yet to really get into making my own pudding. Now’s the time ~ thanks for the inspiration!

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Nancy

Terrific post given all of the press recently about the evils of processed food. Good reminder that homemade treats are often very easy to prepare.

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sadie

I love this blog and I love you, Jenny!, but come on. Jell-O pudding takes two seconds to prepare. I can make Jell-O pudding in the time it would take me to find the cornstarch and cocoa powder in my pantry. Now, if you had said, “It takes longer than Jell-O pudding, but not by much — and it’s way more delicious” — I could totally get on board with that 🙂

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Jesse

seems like a good deal to get your calcium in. i love that healthy treats exist that we don’t have to feel guilt about. bravo.

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Ginger

I had an extra 20 minutes this afternoon and decided to make this for dessert. I had to substitute powdered sugar (with a few adjustments) as I had no granulated… turned out perfect. Yum.

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Jess

I’m totally with Abby on this one. I’ll take any of the above if given the choice over drinking a glass of milk. Although I’m also with her on the fact that chocolate pudding (or whipped cream) would be at the top of the list!

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Rebecca

Can’t wait to try this out! I suddenly realized that my kids have NEVER had pudding. I have cocoa powder coming in my next grocery order!

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Tracy

This may be a silly question – but does this need to be made with whole milk? We never have it in the house.

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Nicole Brenner

Would be okay to use Almond Milk? Son with ASD is on the GF/CF diet…will give it a try!

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Elizabeth

One other idea to add is that you can prepare packets of the cornstarch, cocoa, sugar, and salt ahead of time, and then when you want pudding, just do the rest!

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