Potted Chocolate-Mint Puddings

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Prep Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
Yield:
8

Mini mint puddings sprout to life, thanks to a mint "seedling" and some ground-cookie "dirt."

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

  • Salt

  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream

  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk

  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1 cup)

  • ½ teaspoon pure mint extract

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 10 chocolate wafer cookies

  • Garnish: mint sprigs

Directions

  1. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Combine cream, milk, and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup.

  2. Pour 1 cup cream mixture into sugar mixture, and whisk until cornstarch is dissolved. Add remaining cream mixture, and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts, about 1 minute.

  3. Remove from heat. Add mint extract and butter, and whisk until butter melts. Quickly divide pudding, whisking as you work to prevent sides from setting up, among eight 4-ounce glasses or glass flowerpot votive candle holders, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top of each. Refrigerate until set, about 1 1/2 hours.

  4. Just before serving, pulse cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Top each pudding with 1 tablespoon ground-cookie "dirt," and garnish with a planted mint sprig. Serve chilled.

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