Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Vanilla Pudding

Homemade pudding is easy to make and tastes great. If you never made pudding before- the effort is well worth it. The actual cooking only takes a few minutes. The most difficult part is waiting for the pudding to cool down.

I was making white cupcakes and had some egg yolks leftover. It seemed like a perfect time to use them to make pudding.

To keep your pudding from getting lumpy- don’t heat it up too quickly. You want the egg yolks to cook slowly, to thicken the pudding, without turning into scrambled eggs. Cooking over medium heat will give you perfect, creamy results every time. Also, whisk the whole time the pudding is on the heat to give you the best results.

Vanilla Pudding

4½ c. milk or half and half

1 c. sugar

5 T. cornstarch

6 large egg yolks, beaten

1 T. vanilla extract

Heat 4 cups of the milk in a large saucepan, over medium heat, until milk starts to steam. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a  bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the remaining ½ cup of milk. Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture until smooth, then gradually whisk the egg-milk mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it has thickened. about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool slightly, stirring a few times to prevent a skin from forming. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until completely cooled and thickened, about 4 hours. Whisk before serving. Makes about 5 cups.