Butterscotch Pudding
Photo by Jennifer May
MAKES
4-6 servings
TAKES
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes (includes chilling)
Total: 2 hours 25 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Pudding is the ultimate comfort dessert for me. You can go from zero to pudding in less than 30 minutes, plus a few bites of warm pudding fresh from the pot will tide you over until the rest of the batch cools. Plus, pudding is easy + fun to riff on. In the photo above, you’ll see two additional flavors - vanilla + chocolate - you can find details on how to make both in the Notes below. It’s totally extra, but a little bit of whipped cream makes the perfect finishing touch to any flavor of pudding.
INGREDIENTS
681 g / 3 cups whole milk
114 g / ½ cup heavy cream
4 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
160 g / ¾ cup dark brown sugar, divided
28 g / ¼ cup cornstarch
56 / 4 large egg yolks
14 g / 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
flaky salt, as needed for finishing (optional)
More Baking Fun This Way:
METHOD
1. Gather four-six glasses or serving dishes and place them on a baking sheet. Make enough room in your fridge that it will fit comfortably.
2. Combine the milk, cream, vanilla bean and scraped seeds, salt, and 53 g / ¼ cup of the brown sugar in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, about 3-5 minutes.
3. In a medium, heat-safe bowl, whisk the remaining 107 g / ½ cup brown sugar and cornstarch to combine. When the milk/cream mixture comes to a simmer, whisk the egg yolks into the sugar (don’t do this too far before the milk is ready – the sugar can pull moisture from the egg yolks and make a grainy, unpleasant texture).
4. Gradually pour some (about ⅓) of the milk mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to combine. Return the mixture to the pot, and continue to cook, whisking constantly, over medium low heat.
5. Switch to a silicone spatula and continue to cook, stirring the base and sides constantly, until the mixture comes to “first boil” - small bubbles may appear around the edge of the put, but continue to cook until a large bubble (or a few) appear in the very center of the pot. The pudding should be thick and creamy, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the butter.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared glasses or serving dishes. If you’re anti-pudding skin, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the puddings to prevent a skin from forming (if you secretly love pudding skin like a select few of us out there, skip this step).
7. Chill the pudding until it’s fully cooled and even thicker, at least 2 hours (and up to overnight). To serve, garnish surface with flaky salt, if using.
NOTES
Vanilla Bean Pudding:
Replace the brown sugar with 150 g / 3/4 cup granulated sugar.
Chocolate Pudding:
In step 2, whisk 4 g / 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder into the sugar and cornstarch mixture.
At the end of step 5, mix in 170 g / 6 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate until fully melted.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
