And while we are talking cinnamon, can I just pause here and say it’s well worth it to get the very best cinnamon you can find. I am utterly, totally devoted to Penzeys Cinnamon (and just for the record, the Penzeys people have never heard of me or this here blog and I am influenced only by my love for their rocking great cinnamon. It’s an unrequited love, but I’m okay with that.)
Meanwhile, back at the pudding-making…if you are going to serve this pudding warm (which I passionately recommend, just for the record), it’s the kind of dessert you can whip up while your dinner guests are lingering over the final bites of their entree, because it’s about 15 minutes from start to finish. (My dinner guests tend to be one Southern husband and one hopeful hound dog, who continues to believe that one day science will discover that chocolate is actually GOOD for dogs. So far no luck.)
Anyway, you mix up a combo of sugar, flour, cocoa, cinnamon (yes!!), salt, milk and half and half, and bring the whole thing to a boil. Once you get it to boiling it will take about two whole minutes to thicken up. And here’s one of the magical parts: once it is thick, turn off the heat and stir in some vanilla and butter. The butter is going to add a silky smooth texture that will pretty much make it impossible to do anything but eat it spoonful by spoonful with your eyes closed in sheer, perfect bliss.
Now, you can serve this up exactly as is, or you can garnish it with a little cinnamon sugar, some grated chocolate, or a little whipped cream. I actually made mine early in the fall before we got hit with hurricanes and snowy Nor-Easters, when I still had a hefty barrel of mint outside my back door.
And so I just popped a few baby mint leaves on mine, because along with cinnamon I am a sucker for that whole chocolate and mint thing.
Now just for the record, this pudding is perfectly nice served room temperature or even chilled. But served warm? Trust me. Just…trust me.
Ingredients
Directions
Recipe adapted just a teeny bit from Taste of the South
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I always forget about the magic that is the chocolate cinnamon mixture until I have it and then it’s like WHOA, right that is awesome. ANd putting it in pudding is doubly awesome because, well. pudding is the best.
Isn’t it though? Happiness is chocolate pudding.
I don’t know why people hate on pudding. I love it. I’ve made homemade, but never thought to blog it. Love the cinnamon and chocolate combo. My kind of comfort food.
Chocolate and cinnamon is a match made in heaven!
I can’t wait to try this. Penzey’s and I have a love affair when it comes to their spices. My hubby saw my stash of different Penzey’s cinnamons when we got married and thought I was a nut, but I had him do a cinnamon tasting and he was surprised at the differences!
It’s really amazing. I also love their peppercorns – just the best!
Beautiful photos and am eager to try the recipe. I have a closet full of Penzy’s and just received their cocoa gift pack for Christmas which included Tung Hing cinnamon from China.
Thank you!
And, lucky you – what a great Christmas present!
One of the benefits of keeping a pretty well-stocked kitchen – being able to make this little bit of deliciousness on a whim! Thanks, Kate!
Isn’t that the best feeling – that you can make it right on the spot? Hurray!
Hmm chocolate pudding when I’ve got a about half of my semi-sweet chocolate fondue left over and a New Year’s Eve party to attend tomorrow night. Maybe I’ll experiment, I mean it’s chocolate what could possibly go wrong?
Absolutely nothing – chocolate is fabulous in any form. Happy New Year!!
I just made this, and it was super yummy! Admittedly…just about any chocolate pudding fits into that category for me…but this one was no exception! Mmmmmmm…Good noms!
There’s nothing better than chocolate pudding, right?