Photo: Claire Lower
I don’t know whether I should blame it on hormones or Valentine’s Day propaganda, but I have been a fiend for chocolate recently. The craving has been so strong, I baked a chocolate cake. (As someone who never bakes, this is an indication that the situation is extreme.) The cake—which is covered in this two-ingredient frosting—is almost gone, which means I need a new craving mitigation strategy, preferably one that doesn’t require more baking. Food52 must have heard my silent prayer, for they answered it with this Greek yogurt chocolate pudding.
This dessert is chocolate pudding in the way that chocolate frozen yogurt is ice cream. It scratches the chocolate itch, satisfies one’s sweet tooth, and provides a pleasant tang you don’t get from either pudding or ice cream. If you are prone to attaching value to your diet, eating a yogurt-based dessert can also provide a touch of smugness.
Does it taste good? Yes, it does. The writer of the recipe describes it as “a cross between one of those tangy YoCrunch vanilla yogurts with Oreo crumbles and a chocolate Snack Pack.” It also takes well to modifications. The recipe calls for half a cup of full-fat Greek yogurt, along with two tablespoons of Dutch processed cocoa powder, two tablespoons of heavy cream, a tablespoon of maple syrup, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. I only had regular cocoa powder, was out of vanilla, and forgot the salt, and I still managed to make a smooth and creamy chocolate dessert. (I also added a tablespoon of powdered sugar for extra sweetness, and would like to try it with a little instant espresso powder.)
The recipe also calls for everything to be mixed together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but there was no way I was going to pull out my KitchenAid for a single serving of almost-pudding. Luckily, an immersion blender works just fine. Toss all ingredients into a large cup, and insert the head of the blender down in there, slowly moving it up and down (and scraping the sides occasionally) to create a smooth and glossy “pudding.” Serve in a cute little glass or teacup, with whipped cream, berries, crushed Oreos and/or gummy worms (to make a “better-for-you” dirt cup).
