Some of my earliest memories are of making and eating Jell-O chocolate pudding. It’s such a kid-friendly treat, spoonable and sweet. We had it as both a weeknight dessert and a birthday party favorite, layered in “dirt cups” with crushed oreos and gummy worms. Though I haven’t eaten it in at least a decade, the mild chocolate flavor and smooth texture are etched in my memory.
I have to imagine that Jen Garner also had her fair share of Jell-O pudding as a kid, but like me, she has graduated to an upgraded, homemade version. Either that or she was lucky enough to have parents who made pudding from scratch. Whatever her pudding origin story, she’s passed her love of the dessert down to her kids, whose favorite version she shared in one of her “pretend cooking show” videos a few years back.
Jen’s recipe comes from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, who got it from Luisa Weiss a.k.a. The Wednesday Chef, who shared it from John Scharffenberger’s cookbook, The Essence of Chocolate. Following the breadcrumbs back to the original version of this recipe, I figured out that Jen’s version incorporates a couple of Deb’s tweaks of the original.
Simply Recipes / Coco Morante
How To Make Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Chocolate Pudding
Instead of cooking the pudding in a double boiler, Deb and Jen opt for a saucepan, which cuts the cooking time in half. It also increases the stakes of stirring continuously once the mixture starts to thicken up, though—it’s a lot easier to end up with a lumpy, overcooked pudding with the direct heat of a burner vs. the gentle heat of a double boiler.
Not to worry, though: You can follow the recipe’s suggestion to strain the pudding through a fine mesh strainer to eliminate any lumps. I’d probably just stick an immersion blender in there to blitz the mixture until smooth.
Jen also goes with Deb’s suggestion of lowering the amount of sugar to about 1/3 cup, a great idea if you like your desserts a little less sweet. And she forgoes Deb’s optional cocoa powder, which can be added to increase the chocolate intensity if you like.
When I made this recipe, I followed Deb’s version and included the cocoa powder, as well as a cup of 72% dark chocolate chips. What resulted was an intensely chocolatey pudding that still wasn’t overly rich.
Since the recipe uses whole milk as the base and cornstarch as the thickener, it’s less indulgent and decadent than puddings that call for cream, egg yolks, or other heavier ingredients. Texture-wise, it’s close to my nostalgic memories of pudding made from a mix, which is a good thing!
I really enjoyed taking my tastebuds down memory lane, and my family loved this pudding, too. My five-year-old had a great time helping me stir up the ingredients and an even better time demolishing a ramekin of pudding after dinner.
My husband made an enthusiastic “mm!” after taking a bite, which translates to high praise—I’ve learned that the higher pitched the “mm” is, the more he likes something. I’ll keep this recipe in my back pocket when the craving for pudding hits again.
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