Chocolate Pudding Dessert | Easy Make-Ahead Recipe! | Confetti & Bliss (2024)

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Share holiday sweetness with this chocolate pudding dessert! Rich. Creamy. Simple to make. The perfect recipe for the busy winter season! Enjoy fudge brownies with homemade chocolate pudding and a delicious whoosh of whipped topping. Get your tastebuds ready for this festive holiday treat!

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CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT INGREDIENTS

Below are the ingredients you’ll need to make this chocolate pudding dessert. The difficulty level for this recipe: beginner/easy.

• Duncan Hines® Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix (plus eggs, oil and water), baked and cooled
• Granulated sugar
• Swiss Miss® Milk Chocolate Flavor Hot Cocoa Mix 30ct
• Cornstarch
• Sea salt
• Milk (2% or whole)
• 4 oz bar semi-sweet baking chocolate
• Butter
• Vanilla extract
• Reddi-wip® Original Whipped Topping

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HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Our chocolate pudding dessert begins with a batch of homemade chocolate pudding. If you’ve never done this before, no worries. With a whisk, a pan and 18 minutes, you can make chocolate pudding from scratch. It’s so easy! Let’s make it together. Here’s how:

• STEP 1: Add sugar, cocoa mix, corn starch, and salt to a medium sauce pan (the one shown in the images is a 3.5-quart pot).
• STEP 2: Rapidly whisk the ingredients in the pan for 1 minute (no heat), or until all the lumps have been broken up.
• STEP 3: Add 2 cups of cold milk to the pan (no heat). Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is completely blended with no lumps.
• STEP 4: Turn on the burner. Set it to medium heat. Add in the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk. Continue whisking over medium heat. Do not raise the heat at any point! The mixture will start to thicken at the 9-minute mark.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

We’re almost done! Continue following the directions for this easy chocolate pudding recipe.

• STEP 1: Continue whisking! The mixture will start to boil around the 10-minute mark. Rapidly whisk for 2 more minutes.
• STEP 2: Test for thickness. Chocolate pudding is at the desired consistency when it can thickly coat the back of a metal spoon.
• STEP 3: Snap the bar of chocolate into pieces. Add the chocolate, butter and vanilla to the pan. Whisk another 2-3 minutes until the butter and chocolate have completely melted and are fully incorporated into the pudding.
• STEP 4: Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the pudding. This is important, as it prevents a skin from developing on the top. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

ASSEMBLE CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT

This recipe yields 12 servings. Assemble just the number of servings you need right now. Save the extra pudding and brownies for later!

1. Select the dessert cups you’ll be using. Choose a biscuit cutter that’s about the same size as the bottom of the dessert cups.
2. Cut out round pieces of brownie.
3. Place 1-2 pieces of brownie inside each dessert cup.
4. Spoon pudding over the brownies. You can even layer this dessert: brownie/pudding, brownie/pudding.
5. Top each dessert cup with a dollop of whipped topping!

CHOCOLATE PUDDING FAQs

• CAN THE HEAT BE RAISED TO SPEED UP COOKING? Never increase the heat to try to speed up the process of thickening the pudding. Corn starch begins to thicken at around 140°F. It must be brought to a boil very slowly. Then it must be held just below the boiling point for several minutes to cook off the raw starch flavor.
• CAN TAPIOCA FLOUR BE SUBSTITUTED FOR CORN STARCH? For this chocolate pudding recipe, this is not recommended. These two starches handle heat differently. Tapioca flour thickens before the boiling point. If subjected to heat for too long, it can cook past the point where it gels. It will thin out and lose its ability to thicken.
• IS THIS DESSERT A MAKE-AHEAD RECIPE? Yes! This chocolate pudding dessert is an ideal make-ahead recipe. Make the brownies and pudding up to 2 days in advance. Store the brownie cut-outs in a zip-top bag. Keep the pudding refrigerated. Assemble dessert cups when you’re ready to serve them!

EXPERT TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE

• HOW TO PREVENT LUMPS IN PUDDING: It’s important to start the recipe by whisking the dry ingredients together, eliminating all lumps. Before being subjected to heat, the cornstarch (part of the dry ingredient mixture) should always be mixed with cold milk and whisked until smooth. These two steps will help minimize the lumps.
• HOW TO MAKE PUDDING SMOOTHER – WHIP IT: Just before serving, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whip attachment. Whip the pudding for 2-3 minutes until the majority of the lumps are gone. But it’s important to note that both straining and whipping will thin out the pudding. The corn starch will be over worked. The pudding’s consistency will be lusciously smooth, but it will no longer be as thick and dense as before.
• HOW TO MAKE PUTTING SMOOTHER – STRAIN IT: Before adding the chocolate bar, butter and vanilla, take out a large bowl. Carefully pour the hot pudding through a fine-mesh strainer, scraping the inside of the strainer with a rubber spatula to push all the pudding through. Continue making the recipe.
• HOW TO PREVENT A SKIN FROM FORMING ON THE SURFACE OF THE PUDDING: As the pudding cools, a thick skin will form on the surface. Why does this happen? As water evaporates from the hot mixture, the proteins and sugars become more concentrated and form a barrier. To prevent this formation, press plastic wrap over the entire surface of the chocolate pudding before putting it in the fridge to chill.

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Chocolate Pudding Dessert

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5 from 19 reviews

• Author: Denay DeGuzman
• Total Time: 20 Minutes
• Yield: 12 Servings 1x

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Description

This easy chocolate pudding dessert is the ideal make-ahead recipe! Perfect for winter parties and seasonal gatherings, it’s a simple way to share holiday sweetness!

Ingredients

Scale

• 1 box Duncan Hines® Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix, prepared and baked according to package directions
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 envelopes Swiss Miss® Milk Chocolate Flavor Hot Cocoa Mix
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2 cups milk (2% or whole)
• 1 bar (4 oz) semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Reddi-wip® Original Whipped Topping

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See Also

Homemade Shake And Bake Recipe - Regular, Gluten Free & More!Chocolate Hummus | 5 Minute Recipe Using Beans + VideoStarbucks Pumpkin Bread RecipeAn Index of the Best Paleo Recipes from My Natural Family

Instructions

RECIPE PREP: Bake brownies according to package directions. Cool completely. With a round biscuit cutter, cut the brownies into pieces that will fit into the bottom of your dessert cups.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE

1. Add sugar, cocoa mix, corn starch, and salt to a medium sauce pan. Rapidly whisk the ingredients in the pan for 1 minute (no heat), or until all the lumps have been broken up.
2. Add 2 cups milk to the pan (no heat). Whisk for 1-2 minutes until mixture is completely blended with no lumps. Turn on the burner. Set it to medium heat. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups of milk. Continue whisking over medium heat. Do not raise the heat at any point! The mixture will start to thicken at the 9-minute mark. Continue whisking! The mixture will start to boil around the 10-minute mark. Rapidly whisk for 2 more minutes. Test for thickness. Chocolate pudding is at the desired consistency when it can thickly coat the back of a metal spoon.
3. Snap the bar of chocolate into pieces. Add chocolate, butter and vanilla to the pan. Whisk another 2-3 minutes until the butter and chocolate have completely melted and are fully incorporated into the pudding. Transfer mixture to a heat-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the pudding. This is important. It prevents a skin from developing on top. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

ASSEMBLE CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT

1. Place 1-2 pieces of brownie inside each dessert cup.
2. Spoon pudding over the brownies. If desired, you can layer this dessert: brownie/pudding, brownie/pudding.
3. Top each serving with a beautiful dollop of whipped topping!

Notes

CHOCOLATE PUDDING FAQs

• CAN THE HEAT BE RAISED TO SPEED UP COOKING? Never increase the heat to try to speed up the process of thickening the pudding. Corn starch begins to thicken at around 140°F. It must be brought to a boil very slowly. Then it must be held just below the boiling point for several minutes to cook off the raw starch flavor.
• CAN TAPIOCA FLOUR BE SUBSTITUTED FOR CORN STARCH? For this chocolate pudding recipe, this is not recommended. These two starches handle heat differently. Tapioca flour thickens before the boiling point. If subjected to heat for too long, it can cook past the point where it gels. It will thin out and lose its ability to thicken.
• IS THIS DESSERT A MAKE-AHEAD RECIPE? Yes! This chocolate pudding dessert is an ideal make-ahead recipe. Make the brownies and pudding 1-2 days in advance. Store the brownie cut-outs in a zip-top bag. Keep the pudding refrigerated. Assemble dessert cups when you’re ready to serve them!

• Prep Time: 2 Minutes
• Cook Time: 18 Minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT > JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Are you craving homemade chocolate pudding? How about a nice slice of warm apple pie pulled straight from the oven? Who would you like to share this dessert with?Join the conversation below!