Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Forget instant pudding mixes, homemade vanilla pudding is way better, and it’s super easy to make. Prepare yourself for oohs and aahs when you serve it. Also, you’ll have a few leftover egg whites which you can use to make yummy Vanilla Bean Meringues another day. It’s a win-win!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 4-ounce ramekins https://amzn.to/3G3aFEz

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3udhEYO

• pure vanilla bean paste https://amzn.to/3G4WCyu

• flat whisk https://amzn.to/49I5qYs

• sieve https://amzn.to/46kqSjB

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Homemade Vanilla Pudding

makes six 1/2-cup servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk

• 3 large egg yolks

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (see notes below)

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or pure vanilla bean paste)

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed 3-qt saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well combined.

2. Switch to a wooden spoon (one with a flat edge works well) and stir the mixture continually until it begins to thicken; continue cooking for 1 additional minute, again, stirring continually.

3. Remove from heat and stir in butter and pure vanilla extract (or paste).

4. Pour mixture through a mesh sieve (not completely necessary, but will result in a silky smooth pudding).

5. Pour pudding into serving dishes and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming; chill for at least an hour. Garnish with berries if desired.

Notes

• Recipe can be made up to 3 days in advance.

• If you use salted butter, omit the additional salt in the recipe.

• The leftover egg whites can be used to make half a recipe of these Vanilla Bean Meringues. Alternatively, you can freeze the egg whites and whip them up another day.

Churros

Do you like churros as much as I do? I mean, who doesn’t like crunchy, cinnamon-y, fried dough sticks dipped in chocolate sauce, right? Most people have to wait until they visit a fair or carnival to get them, but they wouldn’t have to wait if they knew how easy they were to make. Let me show you how easy it is to make your own.

Churros are made from Pate a Choux dough, a cooked pastry dough that I’ve shared with you in the past when we’ve made eclairs, cream puffs, and gougeres together.

Allow the cooked churro dough cool until it’s easy to handle before transferring to a large disposable pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Don’t let the dough cool too much - it needs to still be on the warm side in order to squeeze it easily from the pastry bag.

In the photo above I used a Wilton 1M open star tip, but I now prefer to use an Ateco 848 closed start tip. Either will work, but the Ateco closed star tip provides deeper ridges when piping the dough, and the finished churros (pictured at the beginning of this post) look a little nicer after frying.

Pipe the warm churro dough into the hot oil (see recipe below for oil temp). You can make the churros as short or long as you like. Mine are about 4 inches in length - use a knife or scissors to cut the dough into the desired length as it’s squeezed from the pastry bag. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes until they’re golden brown, making sure they don’t stick together.

I like to use a kitchen spider to remove the churros from the oil. Allow the churros to drain a bit before tossing them in cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy them as is or serve them with a quick chocolate dipping sauce, which is my preferred way to enjoy them.

Churros are best eaten right away, but you can keep them in an airtight container for a few days (although they will lose some of their crispness). You can restore some crispness by heating in an air fryer for 2-3 minutes.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• large close star tip (preferred) https://amzn.to/44EHKlt

• large open start tip https://amzn.to/44CxwSl

• large disposable pastry bag https://amzn.to/3nFfLRK

• large kitchen spider https://amzn.to/44DmzjK

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Churros with Chocolate Sauce

makes enough for a small crowd

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Chocolate sauce:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

• 6 tablespoons dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• pinch of table salt

cinnamon sugar:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

churro dough:

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 cup water

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

• 1 large egg

• vegetable oil for frying

Directions

for the chocolate Sauce:

1. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, mix together all the ingredients except for the pure vanilla extract and bring to a full rolling boil.

2. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the pure vanilla extract; allow the mixture to cool before serving (will thicken slightly as it cools).

For the Cinnamon Sugar:

1. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon until well mixed; set aside until needed.

For the Churros:

1. In a 4-quart saucepan oven medium-high heat, combine water, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until it boils.

2. Immediately add the flour and stir vigorously until all the liquid is absorbed by the flour and a paste forms; continue stirring constantly until the paste dries out and forms a ball that cleans the sides of the pan.

3. Remove from the heat and allow the paste to cool for about 5 minutes before vigorously stirring in the egg until fully incorporated.

4. When the dough is cool enough to handle comfortably, transfer to a large disposable piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (preferred) or a large open star tip.

5. In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375F.

6. Squeeze churro dough into the hot oil, cutting the dough with a knife or scissors into desired lengths; leave plenty of room for the churros to fry without being crowded.

7. Cook churros for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.

8. Remove churros from hot oil using a kitchen spider.

9. Drain for a few minutes on paper towels before tossing in cinnamon sugar.

10. Serve immediately; see notes below for directions on how to handle leftovers.

Notes

• Make the chocolate sauce first, as it needs to cool and thicken before serving.

• Make the cinnamon sugar second so it’s ready when the churros are done frying.

• Make the churros last and serve right away or within a couple of hours.

• Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; recrisp in an air fryer for 2-3 minutes.