Homemade White Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Pudding

I’m buying Nilla wafers like it’s no body’s business. It’s a phase, I’m sure I’ll be over it soon. Or not. Maybe not, I’m kinda liking this phase – just like I liked my bright purple eye shadow phase. But right now I’m going through a “eat all the childhood classics” kinda thing and it’s getting stupid. Apples and peanut butter. Boxed macaroni and cheese. With ketchup. Don’t judge me. Nilla wafers and bananas. And pudding. My mom and I used to make the cook and serve puddings from a box as a kid and the best part was eating them still half warm, and peeling the solidified skin off the top and eating it right off the bowl. We’re just sick like that. But it was – and still is – the best. To continue with this eat-my-childhood phase, I went with a kinda classic made from scratch cook-n-serve style pudding that just made me want to faceplant into the bowl and eat my way out. So throw that box away and jump on this. Your inner child will thank you over this white chocolate and vanilla bean pudding. You’re welcome inner child.

 For a minute I thought it would be a great idea to “healthify” the whole thing – but I realized after my first attempt that all I was going to do was to recreate the unmitigated disaster it was the first time I tried it. Just get over the whole “it has fat” thing in it and enjoy it. On the plus side – this doesn’t have all those funky chemicals, thickeners, additives, magic wishes and unicorn tears – so you can deal with some added fat if it means you can actually pronounce what’s in it. Fair? Fair.

And because we’re on the subject  of childhood classics – if you don’t dip Nilla wafers into this or crumble it into the mix – I don’t know if we can be friends. It’s just what you do. Like breathing, sneezing when you look at the sun, squealing when you see a Corgi or sliding out of your chair at the cast of Magic Mike – it’s just what you do.  I’ll go sit in a corner now, with a big bowl of pudding.

Take a peek at these sweet puddings of the custard and bread variety –

Lemon Ginger Pudding 

Spiced Pear and Chocolate Bread Pudding

Coconut Blueberry Bread Pudding

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake

Homemade White Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Pudding

• Author: Country Cleaver
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Chill Time: 3 hours
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 8, 1/2 Cup Servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

You’ll never go back to boxed cook and serve pudding after you try this homemade version!  Crumble Nilla Wafers on top for added deliciousness.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 ½ cup Half and Half
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• ½ Vanilla Bean, split and scraped of vanilla
• 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• 6 ounces White Chocolate, melted
• 1 Tbsp Butter

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Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly whisk in the Half and Half and then the egg yolks one at a time until evenly combined.
2. Add in scraped vanilla bean and add in vanilla bean husk. Lastly whisk in the melted white chocolate.
3. Heat the mixture over the stove until it starts to gently boil, whisking constantly. Be sure to whisk and scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl constantly for about two minutes, or when it becomes thick and can coat and stick to the back of a spoon.
4. Remove from the stove and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl to remove any curds, chunks and the vanilla bean pod.
5. Cover pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Serve cold.

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