Coconut Chocolate Pudding Recipe
A deeply dark and impossibly decadent coconut chocolate pudding recipe. Creamy coconut milk base infused it with a whisper of warming spices.
My best chocolate pudding recipe to date. It took me almost thirty dollars in premium chocolate and four lackluster attempts to eventually come up with a chocolate pudding recipe special enough to share with you. I made not only bland, flat, and gelatinous puddings, but also runny and boring chocolate puddings before I finally turned out this keeper of a batch. It is deeply dark and impossibly chocolatety, rich, glossy, fragrant, and un-lumpy. I used a coconut milk base in place of dairy, and infused it with a whisper of warming spices to give it an unexpected, ambiguously exotic je ne sais quoi.
On my journey to the final recipe, I ran into a few issues and problems that needed to be addressed. I had a pudding in mind - it would be a serious and sophisticated dark chocolate pudding made with a coconut milk base, arrowroot would be used as the thickener, non-alkalized cocoa powder (not dutched) would be enlisted, as would a semi-sweet chocolate bar. I'm usually relatively close to the mark when I imagine how ingredients might come together into a final creation or recipe, but my first attempt here was remarkably off. The pudding took almost twelve hours to achieve any sort of set, and even then it was on the runny side. It dawned on me the acidity in the non-alkalized cocoa powder might be rendering the arrowroot thickener ineffective, so I corrected for that variable and made changes a bit at a time over the course of five batches until I finally had a chocolate pudding recipe that matched the one in my imagination.
So here it is! The great thing is it only takes a few minutes of active cooking time. You can play around with a few of the variables - for example, it might be fun to use one of those uniquely-spiced Vosges chocolate bars in place of the straight semi-sweet. If you want to use regular or low-fat milk, give it a go. You can use cornstarch, but it didn't deliver the smooth glossy texture and sheen that came with using arrowroot powder. I also mention a few other variables to play with in the recipe head notes.
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Coconut Chocolate Pudding Recipe
I used Scharffen Berger 62% semi-sweet chocolate in this pudding, I also did a batch with 70% - delicious. You can play around with a few of the variables here. For example, it might be fun to use one of the uniquely spiced Vosges chocolate bars in place of the straight semi-sweet. I used raz el hanout spice blend here - but you should feel free to experiment with your favorite curry spice blend. If you want to use regular or low-fat milk in place of the coconut milk, give it a go. For a more pronounced coconut flavor, you might want to add a small splash of coconut extract.
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk (lite is fine), divided
3 tablespoons sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup arrowroot powder, sifted
1 teaspoon raz el hanout spice blend or curry powder, (optional)
3 tablespoons alkalized dutch-cocoa powder, sifted
1 3.5-ounce bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted in a dry skillet
Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sugar, and the salt (just) to a simmer over low heat.
While that is heating, in a seperate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot powder, spice blend (or curry powder), and cocoa powder. It should look like a chocolate frosting.
When the coconut milk and sugar mixture has started simmering take about 1/4 cup of it and whisk it little by little into the arrowroot mixture, creating a slurry. Turn down the heat to the very lowest setting. Now drizzle the arrowroot slurry mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk whisking vigorously all the while. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up barely to a simmer and thickens up a bit, about a minute.
Remove the saucepan from heat, continue whisking while it is cooling for about a minute. Now whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Keep stirring until the pudding is smooth. Place in a refrigerator to chill thoroughly. To prevent a skin from forming press plastic up against the surface of the pudding. Serve dusted with the coconut flakes and a tiny pinch of spices (orcurry powder).
Serves four.
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Comments
Er - what is non-alkalized cocoa powder, and can one get it in the UK? I only quite like this sort of chocolate pudding (which my grandmother used to call "Thames Mud") so probably won't be trying this recipe, but it sounds very interesting. I always like milk puddings more than I think I'm going to, but the very thought of tapioca makes me heave... horrible frogspawn!
This looks wonderful and I will be trying it. And do bring us some tapioca recipes. Especially if you can make some that don't have little bits of egg yolk or white floating around in them. (A pet peeve.)
I would very much love a good tapioca recipe! I also wanted to say that your journal has made me feel so much more empowered about cooking. I tried a roasted garlic recipe from one of your books and when I found that it wasn't quite what I wanted I was able to do research and come up with a recipe that did exactly what I was looking for. I've never "made up" a successful recipe in my life before now! :)
i made it and ate some just now. i must thank you for this utterly delicious, wonderfully satifying pudding which looks as beautiful as your picture and tastes as good as you promised it would!
Please, please share the tapioca pudding with us. I LOVE tapioca ... especially in the colder months of the year. I eat it warm with freshly whipped cream melting on top, but would definitely be up for a new twist on an old favorite.
I tried all (ate most of) the failures and I have to say they were all good. Not that I didn't want Heidi to get it perfect and make another batch...
Sounds delicious. I'm going to try this, as was suggested in an earlier comment, as a pudding pie. I wonder what kind of crust would work well? Something like an apple pie crust or a graham cracker crust?? Any suggestions?
This sounds like the most delicious recipe! Since encountering Vosges Haut-Chocolat, I have been a great fan of spices in chocolate, and coconut milk sounds like an incredibly good addition. Does it require as much cornstarch as arrowroot? Sapuccina, do give it a try! You would be surprised at the magic chocolate and curry make. You could always divide the recipe in half and only do the curry in one half. Or replace with your favorite spices (though I have it on fairly good authority that cumin does not work with chocolate.) Cardamom sounds marvelous, too.
Wow, I think you have just invented my fiancees ideal pudding! He'll love me for this, so I'm on the hunt for arrowroot. I reckon I will toast and grind my own spice mix, thinking cardamom, cinnamon and a whiff of chilli. Thanks!
Ohh, YUM!! I can't wait to try this! Hmm, I think today!!!!!! Now mine won't have the gloss as I'll have to use cornstarch. It's hard to get arrowroot around here. :( I've been wanting a really good chocolate pudding. Thank-you! Sap, give the curry a try! I have a little experience with spiced chocolate and it is good! and if you don't like it, you can always leave it out of the next batch. -Gringa in Mexico- Ps: count me in on the tapioca.
I made chocolate pudding 2 days ago. It was that "bland, flat, and gelatinous" type that you mention. I was quite disillusioned; but your new recipe has given me hope. I am excited to try it...v.
"It dawned on me the acidity in the non-alkalized cocoa powder might be rendering the arrowroot thickener ineffective..." Yes. That is the conclusion I would reach, as well. Actually, I'd probably just glare at the ingredients and eventually give up. :P Wonderful recipe!
This looks really good! Gonna have to try it soon! Coconut milk works surprisingly well in chocolate. You can make excellent vegan truffles with it instead of cream: http://somethinktochewon.blogspot.com/2007/01/chocolate-truffles.html
Decadence is my middle name. Thanks for this!
What a dedicated pudding afficionado! This sounds really wonderful, I, too am all about the smoothness of pudding- I think tapioca lovers are a different breed. And I have a husband who actually likes the skin that forms on top!
!! I could smell the chocolate in the blogosphere that's how i came!!!!...well i am a fan of your delicious recipes and this one is a must!! Thanks for the tips!! cheers
Hi Heidi & everybody reading this, As much as I love chocolate with coconut, I am a bit 'scared' by the curry... I can't think of anything I might have eaten with the curry+chocolate combo. Could you/someone please give another shot at describing this 'unexpected, ambiguously exotic je ne sais quoi' before I cowardly skip this recipe? Cheers, Sap ps. Love your ideas by the way. Tried a few of them already, and they were delicious! I look forward to trying more.
I admire your determination. Beautiful color combination. This is a must-try for a chocoholic like me. Thank you for the recipe.
"Pot chocolat" with a French accent? Try "Po" (rhymes with slow) and "shock-oh-la" (rhymes with bar) - run it all together as one word and say it softly and sensuously. Voila!
Now you're talking MY sort of food! I'm an unabashed chocoholic. Just looking at it makes me drool... and wanna cook!
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