DIY Chocolate Pudding Cups From Ovaltine!

When I was a kid, I loved those Snack Pack Pudding cups, specifically the chocolate ones. They were a real treat for me because we didn't have that kind of stuff around the house, so if I was lucky someone might have them at a function I was attending or a friend might give me one while at their house. Even now that my tastes have grown so much that I don't like a lot of prepackaged food and prefer homemade, I still like those silly little pudding cups!

I have often thought that they taste similar to Ovaltine, the prepackaged chocolate drink mix. When I first considered making a pudding using Ovaltine, I didn't know as much about cooking as I do now (in fact, making a pudding seemed a huge task, let alone modifying to make my "own" pudding). So today I decided to take the plunge and try to recreate those pudding cups using Ovaltine, cornstarch, and milk.

It is super simple so I hope you enjoy!

*This recipe makes one single serving, but I am sure it can be adapted to make more.

1. Ovaltine. DON'T get the malt version (in my store it comes in an orange can), buy the regular ovaltine (at the time of this writing it is called "Rich Chocolate"). You will need 3 1/2 tablespoons for a single serving of pudding.

2. Cornstarch - almost two teaspoons, or 1 teaspoon and about 3/4 to 4/5 of another teaspoon.

3. Milk. I use whole milk, and you will need 1/2 cup for a single serving of pudding.

4. A small saucepan or just a pan.

5. A small glass bowl, or a cup, or just another small container to hold a tiny bit of liquid.

6. A spoon for mixing.

7. A tablespoon

8. A teaspoon

9. Something to put the pudding in for serving (or just eat it out of the pan once the pan has cooled, ha ha)

Pour out 1/2 cup of milk into a cup or the measuring cup, or whatever. Add in 3 1/2 tablespoons of Ovaltine and stir until mixed.

Cornstarch is the easiest pudding thickener. Some recipes use flour, some use a combo of flour and eggs, or cornstarch and eggs, but I prefer my pudding without the eggy taste that using eggs automatically brings to puddings. So no eggs. I didn't realize that you could even make pudding without eggs until I read "How to Bake Everything" by Mark Bittman. Thank you, Mark Bittman!

Pour a little bit of your Ovaltine/milk mixture into a small container (cup, glass bowl, whatever). Spoon 1 and 5/4 teaspoons into the tiny bit of liquid and mix thoroughly, making sure to eliminate all the lumps. You may want to do this with a fork or a whisk to make sure you got all the cornstarch mixed up.

*Don't worry about being exact with the 1 5/4 tsp, 2 is fine.

Pour you Ovaltine/milk mixture into your small saucepan and turn on the burner. You want to be on low or medium low or maybe even medium depending on how your stove cooks. Know thy stove! Mine is on low because this burner burns super hot, so I am not daring to put it any higher than that.

Stir the mixture, heating until it starts to steam. With what little milk we have, that isn't gonna take very long.

Give the cornstarch mixture another quick whisk, and then drizzle it into the pan while continuously stirring the pudding mix in the pan. You might want to do this part with a whisk or a fork, once again to make sure you have eliminated the lumps.

Continue to stir the contents in the pan, making sure to scrap the sides and bottom so it doesn't burn. When it starts to slightly bubble (like it is trying to start boiling) and thicken, pull your spoon out and, using the end of another spoon, drag the end through the pudding coating on the back of the spoon*. If a clear line stays visible and is not swallowed up by dripping pudding, the pudding is done. Turn off the burner and set the pan aside to cool.

*Cookbooks always say "Until it coats the back of a spoon. Drag your finger along the back of the spoon and if a clear line stays the pudding is done."

However, I find that a rather silly remark. "Drag your finger on this spoon that just came out of this hot liquid plasma that you are cooking on the stove."

So I use the end of another spoon instead of my finger.

Once the pudding is cooled off you're done! Put it in a cute little bowl and enjoy.

Personally, I thought that this tasted pretty dang similar to the pudding cups you buy at the store. We all have different taste sensitivities, so I am sure some people would disagree, but hopefully someone else out there says, "Hey, that tastes like a pudding cup!"