Saturday Morning Cartoon Pudding

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

The boring name for this would be “White Chocolate Pudding with Cinnamon Chex,” but I couldn’t help but think of cereal and milk while creating this recipe. It brought me back to those days when I used to eat super-sugary cinnamon cereal (Saturdays only) and watch hours of cartoons. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes to come together, and the rest of the time is for chilling. Be careful with the Cinnamon Chex—it’s addictive.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups whole milk

½ cup white chocolate chips

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

CINNAMON CHEX

1 cup rice or corn Chex cereal

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon white cane sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To make the White Chocolate Pudding, in a small saucepan, mix together the cornstarch and salt. Turn the heat to medium-low and whisk in the milk a little bit at a time until smooth. Turn the heat up to medium and bring the mixture to a strong simmer. Simmer, whisking continuously, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk for another 2 minutes. (Be careful not to let the mixture simmer for too long or it will affect the texture.) Add the white chocolate chips, which should melt fairly quickly, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and spoon into 4 individual ½-cup ramekins, dividing evenly. Cover with plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until set, 1 to 2 hours.

To make the Cinnamon Chex, while the pudding is chilling, stir together the Chex, melted butter, and sugar in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds, stir, and then microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir in the cinnamon while the mixture is warm. Cool at room temperature, uncovered, until crispy.

Top the chilled puddings with the Cinnamon Chex and serve.