Grocery shopping seems to take me forever these days. Partly because I’m feeding eight people, but mostly because I have become one of those mums who reads the per unit cost of everything I put in my trolley. There are some items I won’t budge on and always buy the same brand, but I seem to spend a lot of time reading labels and comparing the quality of most things before making a purchasing decision. And one of the questions I ask myself is “Can I make this myself, cheaper and healthier than the bought item?” Now I’m not suggesting we return to the dark ages and make absolutely everything from scratch. Who has time for that? And sometimes I overestimate my ability to get everything cooked and baked and wind up wishing I had bought the ready-made product, so I’m all for being realistic and doing what works for you and your family. But one thing I won’t buy is Chocolate Desserts from the Dairy cabinet. They are seriously over-priced and I don’t even recognize most of the numbers listed as ingredients, so I was very excited when I discovered this recipe that so closely resembles the very popular Yogo. Even your kids won’t be able to tell the difference. Well, apart from the fact that it doesn’t come in a Yogo container, but when I serve it up in these colourful little bowls from IKEA I don’t get any questions or complaints.
It only has four very basic ingredients that I’m sure most of you will already have in your kitchens. The only down-side is that you need to stir it constantly while it thickens, so grab your ipad or a magazine and do some reading while you stir. I don’t make this dessert very often, but it disappears rather quickly when I do. Even Mr8 helped himself to a bowlful last night, at first complaining that he had too much, but I noticed that it all disappeared.
Kids Chocolate Dessert
Ingredients:
30g Cocoa powder, sifted
60g Cornflour
120g Caster Sugar (I just use regular, it dissolves anyway)
800mls Milk
Directions:
In a small saucepan combine the cocoa, cornflour and milk. Whisk vigorously to combine until it resembles lump-free chocolate milk.
Heat over a low heat, stirring continuously until it comes to the boil.
Cook for 2 minutes, then whisk in the sugar.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the pudding has thickened. This will take a while, but don’t be tempted to turn up the heat or your mixture will burn on the bottom ruining your pudding.
Pour into a container and cover with glad wrap before placing in the refrigerator to cool.
You want the glad wrap to actually sit directly on top of the hot pudding, not just covering the container. This prevents a skin from forming on the surface.
Original Source: This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot. (http://www.kidspot.com.au/best-recipes/Australian+58/Kids-chocolate-pudding-recipe+3258.htm)
Notes: When your dessert sets it won’t look very attractive, but just give it a good stir and it will look beautifully creamy and custard-like. I was going to say custardy, but I’m sure that’s not even a word.