Chocolate Pudding

Another one of those staples growing up was chocolate pudding. And I mean real chocolate pudding, not the instant stuff from a box. Chocolate pudding has always been my favorite kind of pudding because that's what Grandma made, and I didn't really know there was anything else (kind of like my viewpoint on cinnamon rolls and grape jelly). I remember Grandma making this before lunch in the summer, then she would make us wait until after lunch to eat it- one of the greatest forms of torture, I was sure. But Grandma knew what she was doing, and all us grand-kids would eat all of our lunch then politely wait for everyone to be done so that we could finally have dessert. Oh and let me tell you it was always worth the wait! Grandma would also make real whipped cream to put on top, so we had warm pudding and the cold whipped cream. There was always a couple of us who probably ended up with more whipped cream than pudding, but after all, that is the way it's best!

This also happens to be the filling for my grandma's well-known chocolate pie. All you have to do is cook it a little bit longer, then put it into a pie shell instead of bowls, and you have one amazing chocolate pie! You still have to serve it with really whipped cream however.

Because Grandma always makes her pudding in the microwave, I do too, but if you would rather make it on the stove, you definitely could. You will have to watch it closely to prevent it from burning or scorching.

Chocolate Pudding
Serves 5-6

2 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
Dash salt
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a large microwave-safe glass bowl, whisk the eggs until completely combined and no streaks remain.

2. Sift together the flour and the cocoa, then add to the eggs along with the sugar, the milk, and the salt. Whisk until everything is thoroughly combined.

3.Place the bowl in the microwave on high for three minutes. After the 3 minutes, stir the pudding with a whisk until smooth, and continue to cook in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring with the whisk after each time. When the pudding is very thick, remove the bowl from the microwave. Add the butter and the vanilla and stir to combine.

4. At this point, you can leave the pudding in the large bowl that you cooked it in or you can put it into individual dishes. Allow the pudding to cool a little, then serve with whipped cream. If you like pudding cold, you can make it ahead of time, then refrigerate it until you are ready to eat it (if you can wait that long!). Refrigerate any leftovers. Enjoy!