Now that winter weather is here in full force, I love being able to come home and make a fun treat to share with family or friends. This recipe is a fun twist on a mug of spiced Mexican hot chocolate — in pudding form. It’s a treat everyone will enjoy after school or at the end of the day, curled up with a blanket on the couch.
For this recipe, I set out to make a lower sugar version of chocolate pudding that still tasted decadent and old school. Here, the generous additions of vanilla and spices complement the lightly-sweetened chocolatey base.
I recommend making the pudding in little ramekins, jars or cups — the recipe scales up easily to serve more than four if you’d like, and keeps great for a few days in the fridge.
For more seasonal meal ideas and grocery shopping inspiration, check out my December Seasonal Produce List on Uproot Kitchen. Enjoy and be well!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Pudding
Serves 4
2 cups vanilla almond milk
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Chocolate shavings or cinnamon sticks, for serving
In a room temperature pot, whisk together the almond milk, brown sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne until smooth. This is a vital step before adding any heat — you want the cornstarch to fully incorporate.
Place the pot over medium heat and whisk the mixture constantly for 6 to 8 minutes. It will seem thin up until around 6 minutes, and then it will thicken very quickly.
Fill four serving glasses, jars, or ramekins with 1/2 cup of the pudding, working quickly as it will set very fast.
Refrigerate the pudding for 30 minutes (or longer) before serving. Place a layer of plastic wrap over the surface if you want to prevent a film from forming at the surface of the pudding.
Serve the pudding cold or at room temperature, with chocolate shavings and a cinnamon stick for garnish.
This recipe originally appeared on the blog Uproot Kitchen, written by Marisa Westbrook. Westbrook is a public health professional, recipe developer and food photographer. Visit her website, Uproot Kitchen, for simple and healthy recipes made with whole ingredients, kitchen DIY ideas and urban gardening posts. Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Connect with NOSH on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the free NOSH Weekly email for all your East Bay food news.
