Besties Double Chocolate Pudding

This chocolate pudding is really, really good! Discovered in my friend's (Jenn) fridge at a college reunion, I've made it ever since. And I just made it again and I forgot how addictive it is. I can't even wait for it to chill and become pudding, I keep grabbing spoonfuls tonight.

If you're one of those people who buys a Ben & Jerry's pint and finds yourself at the bottom of it an hour and a half later (read: lack of self control over sinful desserts), then you might not want to make this. If you revel in a full pint of Ben & Jerry's, then make this! Not that it tastes anything like Ben & Jerry's - it's just that that would be my other dessert vice. Probably not a dessert to let your children or husband in on, because like Jenn's fridge pudding, she didn't get any of it, because her besties ate all of it. Oh well - at least we left her house clean...

Note that the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa which is cocoa where the acid has been neutralized. You can probably buy it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. I just use my regular Hershey's cocoa plus a couple of pinches of baking soda. The actual ratio for making dutch processed cocoa from natural cocoa is to add a pinch of baking soda (1/8 teaspoon) per 3 Tablespoons of natural cocoa. I just estimate.

(from: http://www.marthastewart.com)

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes, plus chilling 

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus shavings

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. 

Whisking constantly, heat over medium until the first large bubble sputters, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate; stir until smooth. 

Place plastic wrap on surface of pudding (to prevent a skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days). To serve, whisk until smooth; divide among serving cups, and garnish with shavings.