Homemade Pudding Cups

I pack a lunch for Kevin 5 days a week and I used to just go down the isles of the grocery and pick up granola bars, pudding packs, crackers, chips, etc. Since we have been cracking down on preservatives and trying to make as much from scratch as possible, lunchtime snacks have been hard for me. But when I really stopped to think about it, it shouldn't be. After all, all those things I was buying for his lunch, I knew I could make at home. It was just a matter of doing it.

Now that we are swimming in milk, I'm making pudding and yogurt for the family a couple times a week. I thought I would share my recipe for pudding today and show you how I make my own pudding cups.

Put sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Slowly stir in the milk so you don't get lumps. Heat over medium heat, stirring often.

Meanwhile, whip up 4 egg yolks in a bowl. These will just hang out on the counter until you are ready for them.

You want to bring your milk mixture to a boil. When it boils, time it for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remember those egg yolks? You're going to take the milky mixture off the heat and use a measuring cup to s-l-o-w-l-y drizzle a cup of the hot milk into the egg yolks. You are going to whisk the while time, so you can avoid making scrambled eggs.

When you have the whole cup of milk into the eggs, stir the egg mixture into the saucepan and put it back over medium heat. Bring it back to a boil and boil it for 1 minute stirring constantly.

It'll be thick and golden and rich looking. Take it off the heat and stir in vanilla extract (homemade if possible, it really has such good flavor) and butter. Stir, stir, stir it all together and put it in your containers immediately.

Place in the fridge and let it cool overnight. Or, you could use it as a sauce on pound cake, gingerbread or plain devil's food. Some people like to eat it warm, but I'm not one of them. If you are go for it~ it's your pudding, do what you want!

I'm using 1/2 cup containers here and it makes 8 portions. Perfect for lunches with a couple left over for snacking.

Basic Vanilla Pudding Cups
from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook

2/3 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 egg yolks
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla

In a saucepan mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly stir in the milk. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Stir and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk 4 egg yolks in a bowl and add 1 cup of the milk, stirring constantly to avoid curdling the eggs. When the milk is mixed with the eggs, place the milk back on medium heat and stir the egg mixture back in. Stirring constantly, bring back to a boil. Stir and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Serve warm or put in containers and refrigerate until cold. Makes 8- 1/2 cup servings