Vanilla Pudding Six Ways Recipes

VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn starch and salt. Add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add vanilla and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour into individual molds rinsed with cold water; chill until firm and unmold.

VANILLA PUDDING SIX WAYS

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; slowly whisk in 1 cup milk, then whisk in 1 large egg. Meanwhile, bring another 1 cup milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar mixture. Return to medium-low heat and simmer, whisking, until thick and creamy, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon each vanilla and unsalted butter until smooth. Add stir-ins (see below). Divide among ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• Mix-In Ideas:
• Gingerbread cookie:Stir in 1/4 cup cookie butter and layer with crumbled gingersnaps
• Double chocolate chip:Stir in 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips and layer with crumbled chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate-Mint: Stir in 1/2 cup mint baking chips and layer with crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies
• Caramel crunch: Stir in 1/2 cup dulce de leche and layer with broken pretzels
• Pumpkin pie: Stir in 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and layer with crushed graham crackers
• Chocolate peanut butter: Stir in 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips and layer with crumbled peanut butter cookies

VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups of the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
• Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup milk.
• Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture until smooth, then gradually whisk the egg-milk mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it has thickened to a puddinglike consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• Cool slightly, stirring a few times to prevent a skin from forming. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until completely cooled and thickened, about 4 hours.
• Before serving, whisk the pudding vigorously until smooth and creamy.
• Stir-ins:
• Cookies and Cream: Crush 20 chocolate wafer cookies, stir some into the pudding and top with the rest.
• Fresh Berries and Gingersnaps: Fold in 2 cups of fresh, mixed berries and top with about 12 finely crushed gingersnaps.
• Vanilla-Banana: Fold in 3 sliced bananas. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Fold in 24 crushed vanilla wafer cookies and top with more sliced bananas.
• Rocky Road: Fold in 1 cup each mini marshmallows and toasted chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips.
• Peanut Butter* and Jelly (See Cook's Note): Fold in 1 cup quartered red grapes and 1/3 cup each chopped roasted peanuts and peanut butter chips. Top with whole grapes.

HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into serving dishes. Chill before serving.