Mint Chocolate Pudding Pots

these little mint chocolate pudding pots are perfect for spring entertaining

I don’t make too many “cute” desserts on the blog, but when I ran across this idea from Martha Stewart, I knew I had to give it a go. I love mint and chocolate together, and I love pudding, so the idea of a little cup of rich mint chocolate pudding topped with a little mint sprig seedling sounded too good not to try! And sure enough, they were so easy, and so cute for any kind of spring entertaining, from kids’ birthdays to brunches, showers and garden parties.

chocolate pudding pots have three simple components

You might have had a version of this dessert when you were a kid that probably involved  from-the-box chocolate pudding and some gummy worms. Think of this as an upgrade, without sacrificing the fun factor.

• a silky, rich, mint chocolate pudding made easily on the stove top without eggs.
• crushed wafter chocolate ‘dirt’ ~ simply grind a handful of chocolate wafers in the food processor with a little bit of melted butter.
• a fresh mint sprig ‘seedling’ ~ add this right before serving so that they are nice and fresh.

what you’ll need

• cocoa powder ~ be sure to use the unsweetened kind. Different varieties will yield slightly different flavors, but any brand will work.
• chocolate ~ semi sweet gives the pudding a nice rich flavor, but milk chocolate will work too.
• granulated sugar 
• milk and cream ~ the combination makes a rich pudding without being too heavy.
• cornstarch ~ thickens the pudding.
• unsalted butter ~ this will enrich the pudding and help bind the crust, as well.
• peppermint extract ~ gives the pudding a fabulous minty flavor. You can also use mint extract, which is a combination of peppermint and spearmint, or spearmint extract, which is a little milder.
• salt ~ actually enhances the chocolate flavor.
• chocolate wafers ~ when you crush these classic Nabisco wafer cookies it looks just like rich garden soil! If you can’t find them, use Oreos or another dark chocolate cookie.
• mint sprigs ~ fresh from the garden, nursery, or supermarket.

Pudding is perfect for individual dessert cups

It’s so easy to serve pudding this way, and you can get the dessert ready ahead of time, which is always a bonus.

I love a good homemade pudding, and I have a lot of great recipes on the blog from bourbon vanilla, meyer lemon, and old fashioned butterscotch, but I’ve never had a mint chocolate pudding before! It’s a great flavor combo that really works perfectly in this dessert.

Tips for potted pudding success

• Allow enough time to chill your pudding for at least a few hours, ideally overnight, so that is nice and cold and completely set up before serving.
• Small glass cups like these from Duralex are perfect for individual servings, and allow you to see the layers of pudding and wafer topping. In a pinch you could use clear plastic cups.
• Wait until the last minute to place your mint sprigs in the pudding so they don’t wilt. For the same reason, don’t plan on leaving these out on a sunny table for too long.
• Be sure your mint is fresh and unblemished. Garden mint is perfect, but if you’re buying it from the supermarket, check those packages carefully. You can also purchase live mint from a nursery. Go with peppermint or spearmint, it doesn’t matter.
• You’ll want to cut sprigs off with a little extra stem at the bottom so you can gently push them into the top of the crumbs. Keep them fairly short, because tall gangly mint sprigs won’t look as cute 😉

make these pudding pots ahead

You can make them ahead and refrigerate, but leave off the mint sprig until the last minute so it won’t wilt.

for gluten free

Use your favorite gluten free chocolate cookie for the crumbs.

leave out the mint extract

If you’re not loving the mint flavor, leave it out and use vanilla extract. You could top the pudding with small edible flowers like pansies or dandelions to keep the garden theme going.

More desserts for spring entertaining

• Pansy Topped Shortbread Cookies
• Strawberries and Cream Pots de Creme
• Rhubarb Shortcake
• No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
• Ginger Rhubarb Crisp

Mint Chocolate Pudding Pots

5 from 7 votes

Fun Mint chocolate pudding pots look like little potted plants!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes minutes

Total Time:20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

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Equipment

• 6 small glasses

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

for the pudding

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces chopped semi sweet chocolate (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

for the topping

• 15 chocolate wafers
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 6 fresh mint sprigs for serving

Instructions

for the pudding

• In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt.
• Add a little bit of the cream, and whisk together until no lumps remain. Slowly add the rest of the cream and milk, and whisk to combine.
• Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it just starts to come to a boil.
• Remove from the heat, and whisk in the chopped chocolate, butter, and peppermint extract.
• Pour the pudding into your serving containers, and allow to chill for at least a few hours to overnight.

for the topping

• Add the chocolate wafers to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse a few more times until well mixed.
  
• Top each pudding cup with 1-2 spoonfuls of the wafer mixture, and tuck a mint sprig into the center of each cup just before serving.
  

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: chocolate, dessert, mint, pudding, spring

Nutrition

Calories: 492 kcal · Carbohydrates: 51 g · Protein: 5 g · Fat: 31 g · Saturated Fat: 18 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 75 mg · Sodium: 237 mg · Potassium: 250 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 36 g · Vitamin A: 835 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 92 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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