Double-Chocolate Pudding

When you read about baking, you tend to read things like "baking is a science", "you have to be precise", "meringues", "temper", and other fun, yet intimidating terms. I sometimes forget how simple baking can be, though. Well, the right recipe. Often times, I choose recipes that look fancy and are time consuming, or that are mini (mini cheesecakes, mini tarts) and time consuming, or I find a recipe that sounds like it's super easy, but then you have to make swiss meringue something and use a candy thermometer and whip egg whites, and yadda yadda yadda.

Last night, I was going through my bon appetite Desserts cookbook. By the way, this cookbook is great if you are a beginning baker and want to work your way up. They give each recipe a whisk rating, from 1-4 in terms of difficulty.

I decided to look through all the one-whisk recipes and see what things I could make, then maybe make some of the two-whisk, then the three-whisk...

I would say "and so forth", but the four-whisk recipes are pretty demanding, and I like my baking to be a challenge but fun. I hate when you make a time-consuming difficult recipe and then when it comes out you're eating it with a little bit of scorn...where's the fun in that?

Anyways, as I was browsing the recipe, I noticed that this Double-Chocolate Pudding recipe required ingredients I had in my cabinet. I would've made it last night, but it was 10:30 already. Normally, I would've chosen a fancier recipe to make, but it's been a busy week already and chocolate pudding does sound pretty good.

Double-Chocolate Pudding
from bon appetite Desserts

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
4 tsp. cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1/2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan until there are no more lumps.
2. Gradually whisk in half of the milk until smooth. Add in the rest of the milk and whisk.
3. Cook over medium heat until pudding thickens and comes to a boil, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil for 1 minute longer, whisking constantly.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until chocolate melts and is smooth. Divide between 2 small ramekins or dishes of your choice. Chill for 3 hours.