CHOCOLATE LOVERS CHOCOLATE PUDDING

If you love chocolate, as much as I love chocolate, I hope you will try this recipe. I have been perfecting it for a couple of years now, and the process has required a lot of delicious taste testing sacrifice on my part, but the end result is perfection: thick, ultra-chocolate-y, super rich and addicting....just right!!

2 1/4 cups milk (I use 2% milk, but any kind is ok)

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup brown sugar (I use dark, but light is ok)
3 egg YOLKS  (yolks ONLY)
3 tablespoons corn starch (very slightly rounded)(not heaping)
1 (11.5 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk the brown sugar and corn starch together and set aside. This step isn't absolutely necessary, but if you do it this way, the cornstarch will not clump up or lump up when you add the milk. 

Whisk the cream, milk and yolks together in a saucepan that has a nice heavy bottom (it prevents scorching). Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and whisk until smooth. Make sure you scrape the corners of the pan because the corn starch likes to "hide" there.

Cook on medium heat (stirring) until it gets thick and starts to bubble all over the entire surface of the pudding. TURN THE HEAT DOWN to a level where it still bubbles (but isn't going crazy) and cook/stir for another 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and add the butter, milk chocolate chips and vanilla; whisk until melted and smooth.

 

Now, if you REALLY want that super smooth and silky mouth feel, pour the cooked pudding through a mesh strainer, it REALLY makes a HUGE difference but isn't absolutely necessary.

Pour into dessert dishes and lay a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap right on the surface of the hot pudding (this will stop any "pudding skin" from forming). Chill for at least 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and serve cold.

 

A NOTE ABOUT CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Any brand milk chocolate chips will work. I usually use Nestlé's or Ghirardelli chocolate chips and try to stay away from the waxy generic house brands of chocolate chips. But that's just my preference.

ENJOY !!

Bread Pudding with Apple and Raisins

Indulge yourself in a just-baked, homemade slice of bread pudding
 with the fresh addition of crispy apples and sweet raisins.
And don't forget to serve it warm with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice-cream!

It's not hard to bake a bread pudding. But it takes some time and care to make a perfectly moist and rich pudding with golden edges and soft inside. My recipe for this apple and raisins bread pudding will show you, with a few steps, exactly what you will need to do to make it delicious. After you cut the bread in small cubes, and the apples in thin slices, you will need to let them soak for at least 15 minutes in warm milk, flavored with cinnamon, lemon zest and vanilla. Long enough so that the bread softens and absorbs all the flavors and aromas of the other ingredients. Also, it is best to bake the pudding in a water bath.  This will ensure a slow and even cooking, and it will add moisture in the oven, so that the pudding will not be dry and rubbery. Perfection sometimes takes time and care.
This comforting, butter-free bread pudding made with simple and wholesome ingredients,  is always welcomed at my table. It's great for a hearty breakfast, but also perfect for dessert served warm with some ice-cream. Why not? Nothing is as  irresistible as a scoop of vanilla ice-cream melting over a warm slice of freshly baked bread pudding. All you have to do is gather around the fireplace, bundle under a cozy blanket with your dessert and enjoy!

Ingredients: serving 6

• 2 cups (475 ml) of milk
• 1/2 cup (85 gr) of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 cups (about 8 oz, 225 gr) of cubed Italian or French bread
• 2 granny smith apples
• 1 lemon, zest
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 3 eggs

Preparation time: 1 hour and 15 minutes (15 minutes to prepare, plus 15 minutes inactive and 45 minutes baking)

Directions:
Step 1:Warm up the milk until hot. Mix in the sugar, the vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and the cinnamon if you are using it.

Step 2: Cut the bread in small cubes. Peel and cut the apples in quarters, removing the core and cut in thin slices. In a large bowl, combine the bread, with the apple slices and the grated zest of one lemon.

Step 3: Pour the milk mixture over the bread and apples. Let soak for at least 15 minutes. In  a separate cup, soak the raisins in warm water, to plump and make them moist.

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the raisins and beat the eggs. Add both to the mixture and stir gently with a spoon.

Step 5: Grease 6 individual size ramekins and pour in the mixture. For the best results and a moist pudding, place the pans into a large oven pan. Pour boiling water in the pan, up to about halfway the sides of the ramekins. Careful not to pour water in the pudding!. Bake for about 40 minutes until the sides are set, and the middle can be still slightly softer.

Cool before serving, so the pudding will set. Serve warm and, if you dare, with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream! Amazing!
Leftovers should be store in the refrigerator. Warm up before serving - two minutes in the microwave will do it.

Nutella Bread Pudding Recipe

A classic, comforting and timeless bread pudding with an Italian twist: Nutella

Who doesn't love bread pudding? Especially when it's cold outside, and you feel like snuggling in front of the fireplace eating something sinfully delicious.
Bread pudding is made all over the world in many different variations: with caramel, whiskey or rum sauce, with the addition of bananas or apples, or simply just bread pudding. Today I will show you my Italian version with Nutella, of course! You know by now that Nutella and I have a very special connection that goes way back to my childhood. So this weekend, when it rained for the first time in probably 6 months, and the temperature cooled down (for only 2 days, today it feels like summer again), I took the opportunity to bake this delicious bread pudding.
I used a french loaf that was leftover from the day before, spread lots of Nutella on the bread, added a few more ingredients to make the pudding, and baked it. Semplicissimo! I let the pudding cool down, after baking it, and then I warmed it up again right before eating. And, if you dare, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a drizzle of Nutella on top. Oh yes, simply heavenly!
Here is the recipe for you:
Ingredients: to make a 9 x 9 in, serving 6-8

• 2 cups (475 ml) of milk
• 1/2 cup (80 gr) of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 8 oz, (about 225 gr) of cubed Italian or French bread (half loaf)
• about 6 tablespoons of Nutella
• 3 eggs

Preparation time: about 1 hour (10 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes rest, 40 minutes bake)

Directions:
1: Warm up the milk until hot. Mix in the sugar, the vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.

2: Cut the bread in slices, about 0.5-0.75 in thick. Spread half of the slices with Nutella (about one tablespoon each slice), and make sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches in small cubes and place the pieces in a large bowl.

3: Pour the milk mixture over the bread and Nutella. Let soak for at least 15 minutes.

4: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs and add to the bread. Mix it carefully in with a spoon. Pour the mixture in a pan (I used a 9x9 in) and bake for about 40 minutes until the sides are set, and the middle can be still slightly softer.

Cool before serving, so the pudding will set. I like to serve the bread pudding warm, so place the slice in the microwave for about 30 seconds. And don't forget to top with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. 

Delicious!

PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM

I came up with this idea one afternoon and (right out of the chute) it was a keeper.  Whipped cream that has a mellow peanut butter taste... the perfect addition to ANY dessert!!

Make this part a few minutes ahead of time, so it can cool just a little:

1 cup Reece's Peanut Butter Chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Microwave the above just until the cream gets steamy hot, but not boiling. In my microwave this takes about a minute. Remove from the microwave and whisk until the melted mixture is smooth.

Add
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool a little.

With electric mixer, start whipping 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream.
When it gets about "half way" to being whipped cream, slowly drizzle in the peanut butter chip mixture.

Continue whipping until it gets to the consistency you like.

ENJOY !!

Microwave Chocolate-Marshmallow Pudding

Super quick, super easy, rich and chocolate-y, and very inexpensive to make; this fun dessert will satisfy your chocolate craving for sure!! Equally delicious warm or cold, you can have this treat on the dinner table in no time.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
pinch salt
3 level tablespoons corn starch
2 cups milk (see note below)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups mini-marshmallows (optional)

In a large glass bowl, mix the brown sugar, cocoa, salt and corn starch. Slowly add the milk and mix well. At first the cocoa will sort of sit on top of the milk, but if you mix well with a whisk, it will mix together in a minute or so.

Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes. Carefully remove from microwave, and stir well (again with whisk).  Put it back in the microwave (one minute at a time...stirring well after each minute) until the pudding is shiny and thick.  My microwave took the initial 3 minutes, then 2 more (1 minute) intervals), but everyones microwave is different, so just mix it well after each interval and when it is shiny and thick, it's done.

After pudding is thick, stir in butter and vanilla and mini-marshmallows. The heat from the pudding will melt the marshmallows, so don't stir them too much (you want them to stay whole if possible).  Chill the pudding in dessert dishes.

NOTE: I like to use whole milk in this recipe, but I make it with 2% milk a lot too.

NOTE: Marshmallows totally optional.

NOTE: Don't microwave this pudding in a plastic bowl because the plastic gets hotter than the pudding for some reason; glass is the best.

EASY BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING

It seems that I have been on a never-ending search for good pudding recipes...we like pudding!! Picky-picky husbands favorite is butterscotch and I found one, last year, that had a fantastic flavor, but it was a little thick and paste-y for our tastes.

Because it had such a rich butterscotch taste, I've been tinkering with the thickening agents and the final results have produced a real keeper of a recipe.It is light, creamy, very butterscotch-y and super quick and easy to make... no tempering of eggs or anything complicated, just mix, bring to a boil then add butter and extracts...it is done in a snap!!

1 cup brown sugar

3 level tablespoons corn starch
3 egg YOLKS
2 cups half and half
 2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

In a saucepan that has a heavy bottom, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch. Once mixed well, stir in the half and half and the egg yolks; whisk until well mixed (run a spatula over the bottom of the pan to make sure you have everything out of the corners).

Cook on medium high until it just starts to boil (stirring the whole time).  When it starts to bubble, the pudding should already be nice and thick; remove from heat.

Whisk in the butter and extracts; mix well. Pour into dessert dishes and put some plastic wrap or wax paper directly onto the surface of the hot pudding. This will stop any pudding skin from forming.  

 Put in the fridge until well chilled.

NOTE: You get the best flavor if you use a combination of vanilla and rum extracts. If you don't have rum extracts, just use all vanilla.