Remember thick, rich, old-fashioned chocolate pudding? Not out of a box, but made on the stovetop? It’s classic comfort food: creamy, sweet, virtually sparkling with nostalgia, and so intensely flavorful it satisfies even the most seasoned chocoholic. Now you can have your pudding, and eat it, too; our version has a fraction of the fat and calories and NONE of the sugar the original recipe calls for, but keeps all the rich chocolate flavor intact, down to the last drop.
Good Time Gal And Classy Dame In One Sweet Package
Now here’s a dessert that’s fast and easy, and always ready for a good time. No baking, no intensely precise measuring, and unless you’re seriously low on staples, no trips to the grocery store for ingredients you don’t have on hand. Simply mix, cook, and chill, and before you know it you’ll be eating one of the most outrageously delicious sugar free desserts you’ve ever dug your spoon into. And it doesn’t have to be a private pleasure (although it certainly can be) – this is an excellent dessert to serve guests, too. It’s ridiculously inexpensive, lends itself to being made ahead, tastes like it takes tons of effort and DOESN’T taste sugar free. And as you can see, this is no paltry, wimpy, made-from-a-mix pudding. This is serious, substantial pudding that can more than hold its own at a dinner table – one laid with cloth napkins, even.
A Tale Of Two Toppings
We thought it would be neat to come up with a truly healthy and delicious topping for our chocolate pudding – something along the lines of Cool-Whip Lite, only without the corn syrup and trans-fat. Unfortunately, our efforts were not an unqualified success – or successful in any way, really. The first thing we tried was a tofu-based topping, which the cats found irresistible but struck us as barely edible. It was neither light nor fluffy, and tasted so strongly of tofu that it was an affront to the very concept of dessert. Clearly, it was time to go back to the drawing board. We then tried a combination of nonfat dry milk powder, lemon juice, sucralose and ice water. The recipe we used stated that the mixture could be whipped to stiffness, but despite our best efforts, we were unable to nudge it past runny. Down the drain it went.
Taste-wise, this pudding doesn’t need any topping at all, and we wanted to add some more for fancy appearances than for flavor. For now, we recommend either skipping the topping, or achieving a little color contrast by making a half batch of vanilla pudding and plopping it atop the chocolate, as we’ve done here.
To make Old-Fashioned Vanilla Pudding, simply follow the recipe below, omitting the cocoa. While the vanilla is not quite as rich and decadent as the chocolate pudding, its pleasantly mild flavor makes it a perfect topping for fruit and other desserts. Try it spooned over fresh peaches, pears and berries, slices of cake, or in this case, other puddings. Of course, if you happen to be a fan of plain vanilla pudding, you can dig into it on its own and find it very enjoyable.
Sugar Free Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
1/2 cup sucralose
a heaping 1/3 cup cocoa
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt (or sodium-free table salt alternative)
2 1/2 cups light soymilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Gradually blend in the milk, stirring in a little at a time. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken. Continue to cook and stir for two or three more minutes, then remove the pudding from the heat and thoroughly stir in the vanilla.
You can either divide the pudding between four serving cups or glasses and let it cool, or pour it into a medium-sized serving bowl to cool and scoop out portions later. Either way, place a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the pudding or puddings to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
| Stuff That Works (we know cause we use it!) | |||
 silicone bundt pan  |
 Tornado Whisk  |
 9 in. springform |
 silicone baking set  |
