Nonni’s Chocolate Pudding

I was raised on my grandmother’s chocolate pudding, and it is an honor to make it for my girls. Make this pudding for a calcium-filled dessert all by itself or make trifle, icebox cake, pudding pops, and other goodies.

2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

5 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring gently to melt butter. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch—add water and mix to create a paste. Add paste into milk mixture and whisk well to combine. Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in extract. Transfer to a bowl or 4 ramekins, cover with plastic wrap (make sure plastic is touching pudding to prevent a skin from forming), and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

YIELD: 2¹⁄₂ cups

Nutrition Information per ¹⁄₂ Cup

Calories: 148, Total Fat: 6 grams, Saturated Fat: 3 grams, Carbohydrate: 21 grams, Sugars: 18 grams, Protein: 3 grams, Sodium: 43 milligrams, Cholesterol: 16 milligrams, Fiber: 1 gram, Vitamin D: 3.65 IU, Calcium: 114 milligrams, Iron: 0.33 milligrams