Chocolate Mint Pudding
Mini mint puddings sprout to life, thanks to a mint "seedling" and some ground-cookie "dirt."
Source: Martha Stewart
I tried two versions of serving the same recipe as you can see from the pictures. Once in the shot glasses and the other time in a big glass bowl. The time I served in a single serving, I decided to decorate it with homemade chocolate shards . As Chocolate is so versatile it makes a great decoration for most plated desserts.
Sometimes a girl gets a craving for chocolate pudding, and I’m not talking about the boxed stuff. Nooo, I’m talking about the homemade kind: rich, thick, smooth and silky, with no weird ingredients or powdery aftertaste…homemade chocolate pudding that’s simple, classic, and positively addictive!
So since I recently had such a craving and whipped up such a batch, I reckon I ought to share it here with you today. There’s nothing really groundbreaking about this recipe…it’s just easy, and dang good, and one that I feel you should have in your collection.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- Salt
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure mint extract
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 10 chocolate wafer cookies
- Garnish: mint sprigs
DIRECTIONS
Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Combine cream, milk, and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup.
Pour 1 cup cream mixture into sugar mixture, and whisk until cornstarch is dissolved. Add remaining cream mixture, and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat. Add mint extract and butter, and whisk until butter melts. Quickly divide pudding, whisking as you work to prevent sides from setting up, among eight 4-ounce glasses or glass flowerpot votive candle holders, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top of each. Refrigerate until set, about 1 1/2 hours.
Just before serving, pulse cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Top each pudding with 1 tablespoon ground-cookie "dirt," and garnish with a planted mint sprig. Serve chilled.
