Chocolate Pistachio Pudding Cups

I forgot how downright delicious homemade pudding truly is until recently enjoying my Banana Pudding Pie over Easter. So naturally, I needed to find an excuse to try my hand at a Chocolate Pudding recipe.

We had a few friends over for a little after dinner cocktail hour on the patio. I figured everyone enjoys a little something chocolate with their glass of red wine, right?

Chocolate Pudding alone can be a bit boring. Nostalgic, perhaps, but boring. However, when layered together with crunchy pistachio cookie crumbs and topped with tart raspberry sauce... well now you've really got something!

Yes, I'm afraid this recipe is a bit involved... homemade pudding, cookie crumbs, raspberry sauce, and whipped cream is an undertaking. But the good news is you can easily prepare these components a day or two in advance. And while multiple steps and techniques are involved, each are relatively easy if you have a bit of time on your hands!

Of course, should you choose to take a few shortcuts with a boxed pudding mix, store-bought shortbread cookies, and canned whipped cream... I suppose I won't tell!

Chocolate Pistachio Pudding Cups

Ingredients

For the pistachio cookie crumble

· 2/3 cup flour

· ¼ tsp salt

· 1 tbsp sugar

· 4 tbsp butter, chilled & diced

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 1 tsp almond extract

· 2-3 tbsp ice water

· ¼ cup pistachios, chopped

For the chocolate pudding

· 3 egg yolks

· 2 tbsp corn starch

· 2 cups whole milk

· 3/4 cup sugar

· ¼ tsp instant espresso powder

· 1/8 tsp salt

· 4oz semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

· 1 tbsp butter, softened

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the raspberry sauce

· 6oz fresh raspberries

· 1 tbsp sugar

· 1 tbsp almond liqueur (like Amaretto), optional

For the whipped cream

· 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

· 2 tbsp powdered sugar

· ¼ tsp vanilla extract

For the pistachio cookie crumble… combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in the chilled, diced butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Splash in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Add the chopped pistachios. The dough should easily stick together when gathered between your thumb and fingers.

Pour the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Gather the crumbs into a disk. Wrap the cookie dough in the plastic. Chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes until firm but not frozen.

While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 375F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer. Using a fork or your fingers, crumble the cookie dough onto the sheet pan. Ensure the crumbles are spread evenly over the surface of the pan.

Bake the cookie crumbles for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For the chocolate pudding… whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium, heat safe bowl until smooth. Combine the milk, sugar, espresso powder, and salt in the bottom of a small saucepan. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer over medium low heat. Simmer for about 3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is heated through. While whisking, very slowly drizzle about 1 cup of the warm milk mixture into the yolks. Constant whisking and slow addition will help to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Once fully combined, while whisking, slowly add the yolk mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan.

Continue to whisk and cook the pudding over low heat until the pudding begins to bubble and has thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate pieces, butter, and vanilla extract. Once the chocolate and butter has melted, set aside and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Divide about half of the pistachio cookie crumbs across the bottoms of 4 small serving glasses or ramekins. Pour the warm pudding over the cookie crumbs – split evenly between the 4 serving dishes. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

For the raspberry sauce… combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Using a fork, mash about 1/2 of the raspberries and stir into the rest of the sauce. Chill while the pudding chills to allow the raspberries to get saucy.

Just before serving, prepare the whipped cream. For the whipped cream… add the cream to the bowl of a standmixer. Slowly increase the speed of the mixture until the cream begins to thicken. Then beat on high for several minutes until the cream is whipped and stiff. Sprinkle over the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat for another few seconds just until the sugar is incorporated.

Top each of the pudding cups with a very healthy dollop of whipped cream followed by a spoonful of the raspberry sauce. Sprinkle over a spoonful of the remaining pistachio cookie crumbs.

Makes 4 pudding cups

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the flour for your favorite measure for measure flour, like Cup4Cup.