Name: Vanilla Pudding with Coffee Surprise
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: serves 2 people
Cuisine: Slovenian
Ingredients: 40 g vanilla sugar (1/3 cup) (a mix of sugar and vanilla seeds from one pod); 2 tbsp cornstarch; 2 eggs; 300 ml milk (1 1/4 cup); 2 tbsp butter; 1/2 vanilla pod (seeds only); 75 ml cooked unsweetened coffee (espresso) (1/4 cup); 1 gelatin sheet; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp Amaretto liqueur (optional but recommended)

Vanilla Pudding with Coffee Surprise

Are you club chocolate or club vanilla? It’s funny how often that simple decision impacts various other decisions. Like should you eat vanilla or chocolate ice cream,will you order creme bruleé or a nice chocolate cake slice. It’s pretty similar when it comes to puddings. We are definitely club chocolate, however, from time to time it’s good to switch it up and create something new and fun, like this creamy, rich homemade vanilla pudding, made from scratch with an addition of a lovely coffee and Amaretto surprise. These homemade puddings are actually made faster than those from the supermarket and they are made from ingredients that are in most homes always anyway. I am talking about milk, eggs, sugar, butter and in this case, vanilla. Now you will not need to drive to the store when you will crave a good vanilla pudding :)

What is vanilla pudding made of?

Vanilla - Is the main ingredient and cannot be substituted with anything. If you would like to make chocolate pudding, get the recipe HERE.

Cornstarch - Makes the pudding nice and thick.

Eggs - Give a lovely taste and intense, rich flavor.

Milk - A must in every pudding. You could also use half milk, half whipping cream.

Coffee - And vanilla are best friends. If you aren't a fan, you can top the vanilla pudding with other tasty things (see below)

How do you make vanilla pudding from scratch?

This vanilla pudding has a creamy, dense and smooth texture. The taste is actually rich and intensely vanilla. The prep and cooking together don’t take more than 10 minutes which is less than driving to the store and back home. Just throw everything together, cook for about a minute, pour into your favorite cups and leave to set. You can put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes if you are in a hurry or put in the fridge for up to 24 hours if you have enough time (which also makes it perfect for celebrations because you can prepare this treat one day ahead).

What to serve vanilla pudding with?

If you don’t like the coffee topping, you can serve vanilla pudding with whipped cream and chopped pistachios or you can make the coffee surprise, which is basically a delicious combination of coffee, sugar, and Amaretto. My mom and grandma always added a tablespoon of homemade fruit syrup on top of the pudding to make it more fun. Well, now that we are older (and because we love it) we added a thin layer of coffee. Coffee and vanilla are really best friends. Not only do they grow in the same area, but they complement each other wonderfully. Vanilla is subtle, nice and gentle, coffee, on the other hand, is strong, earthy and a bit bitter with a lot of character.

Upcoming short days, autumn and winter are the perfect excuses to take 10 minutes and make this wonderful, easy peasy vanilla pudding from scratch. I bet everyone will love it.

Ingredients

Vanilla pudding

40 g vanilla sugar (1/3 cup) (a mix of sugar and vanilla seeds from one pod)

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 eggs

300 ml milk (1 1/4 cup)

2 tbsp butter

1/2 vanilla pod (seeds only)

Coffee surprise

75 ml cooked unsweetened coffee (espresso) (1/4 cup)

1 gelatin sheet

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp Amaretto liqueur (optional but recommended)

Tools and equipment

saucepan

bowl

whisk

METHOD

stir everything together

Put vanilla sugar, pinch of salt and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl whisk together milk and eggs. Pour the milk and eggs mixture to the saucepan with the dry ingredients. Using a whisk combine everything together to get a nice mixture without any lumps. Soak the gelatin in a cup with water for about 10 minutes.
Cook the pudding

Place the saucepan over high heat and add the butter (cut on small cubes). Incorporate the butter into the mixture using a whisk until there aren't any lumps and pieces left. Bring the pudding to a boil, whisking constantly (especially at the bottom of the saucepan). When the mixture starts to boil, cook for one minute, then remove from the heat, pour into two glasses and leave to cool to room temperature, for about 5 minutes.
Coffee Surprise

Prepare the coffee surprise. Pour cooked unsweetened coffee (espresso) in a clean saucepan. Add the sugar and Amaretto liqueur. Place over medium - high heat for the sugar to dissolve. Occasionally shake the saucepan. Cook for about a minute, then remove from the heat and mix in the drained gelatin sheet. Pour a small amount of the coffee topping on top of vanilla pudding (at room temperature) then place in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours) or in a freezer for about 15 minutes if you are in a hurry. Serve.