Dark Chocolate Pudding (GF)
An easy recipe for rich and creamy dark chocolate pudding made with Dutch-processed cocoa powder and dark chocolate, finished with vanilla extract and butter.
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 oz good-quality dark chocolate (55% cacao), roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, corn starch, sugar, and salt.
- Add the egg yolks, and about 1/2 cup of the milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk.
- Over medium heat, cook the custard while whisking constantly, until it thickens and begins to boil, then continue cooking for one more minute. Depending on the heat, it might take 8-10 minutes to thicken.
- Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla, and chopped chocolate until smooth.
- Pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer (to remove any bits of cooked egg) into a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, resting right against the surface of the custard (this prevents a skin from forming on top), and let it cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour; it will still be warm, but no longer steaming hot.
- Spoon the warm pudding into individual serving dishes. Serve warm, or refrigerate for several hours and serve chilled. Serve the pudding topped with more chopped chocolate, whipped cream, or berries.
Notes
Leftover pudding can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The amount of sugar needed depends on how sweet or bitter the chocolate is. When I make this pudding with 55% chocolate, I use 1/3 cup sugar. When I make it with 78% dark chocolate, I use 1/2 cup sugar. I love very dark, not-too-sweet chocolate, though, so you may want to use more sugar if you prefer the flavor of milk/sweet chocolate.
To make this pudding extra rich and decadent like pots-de-creme, replace half the milk with heavy whipping cream, and increase the chopped chocolate to six ounces.
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