I adore Valentine’s Day.  I decorate my house in reds and pinks and make delicious chocolate desserts.  Don’t you just love love?!  So this week, I’m dedicating my blog to Valentine’s Day Chocolate Indulgences!!!  Doesn’t that sound decadent?  I’m kicking it off with a recipe I grew up with.  I love that a simple taste of pudding can bring me back to childhood.  I had not made this recipe in years.  But the second the spoon hit my lips, I was instantly transported back to 5 year old Joelle.  I have fond memories of made from scratch treats that my Mom made and I love to think that my kids might grow up to have similar feelings of childhood when they eat those same things!  So here is my Mom’s chocolate pudding recipe.  I bet you have all these ingredients in your house right now.  Go make it!  And please invite people over to share it with you….the guilt of eating cup after cup yourself is just too much!

In a pan, mix:

1 1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. (minut 1T.) flour

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. cocoa powder

Whisk ingredients together and add:

4 c. milk

Turn on heat to medium or low, whisking mixture until it comes to a boil and thickens.  Watch corners to make sure it doesn’t stick.

Remove from heat and add:

4 T. butter

2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract (Sometimes my mom would add peppermint instead.  But my favorite way to eat it is with almond!)

Pour into coffee mugs…

Or bowls…

And start making memories with the people you love!  This pudding is not like instant pudding.  It’s thick and rich and has a skin on the top when it cools.  I personally love that, but if it’s not your thing, you can put it in a big bowl to cool.  Put plastic wrap or foil over the bowl, touching the top of the pudding.  That should help it not develop the skin as it cools.  Then you could serve it in tall mugs, layered with dollops of homemade whipping cream and chocolate shavings on top.  Or you can be like me and put it in mugs, wait for it to (sort of) cool and then dive in!