Warm Chocolate Pudding

When chef Kathleen Daelemans's sister, Talitha, was old enough to use the stove, she and her friend, Erin, would sneak into the kitchen during all-night monster movie marathon sleepovers to make this pudding. Instead of waiting for it to cool, they'd eat it warm.

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 cups low-fat or non-fat milk

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Directions 

In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Turn heat to medium high. Gradually add milk and stir constantly until pudding begins to boil and thicken, about five minutes. 

Reduce heat to medium low, add bittersweet chocolate and continue heating five minutes more until pudding is completely thickened. Remove from heat, let cool five minutes. 

Add vanilla and pour into pudding cups. Eat immediately or refrigerate.