Chocolate Pudding Recipe (Vegan)

I've been craving chocolate pudding lately, but with corn being out of our diet, I can't buy packaged pudding mix or pudding cups in the store.  So I came up with my own recipe for chocolate pudding that is thickened with arrowroot powder.  Using unsweetened coconut milk as the base, this is a really delicious, creamy vegan treat.

Chocolate Pudding Recipe

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 heaping tbsp of arrowroot powder mixed with 1/4 cup coconut milk (for a slurry to thicken)

In a medium sauce pan over Medium High heat, add 2 cups of coconut milk, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and salt and bring it to a boil, stirring it constantly with a small whisk.  In a small bowl, add the arrowroot powder and the 1/4 cup of coconut milk and whisk it together until the powder is dissolved.  Pour the slurry in the sauce pan and whisk it with the rest of the ingredients.  Lower the heat to Low and whisk it until thickened, then turn the heat off and whisk it for a few more minutes to help it to cool down.  Pour the pudding into glass custard cups and let them cool for 20 minutes before covering them with plastic wrap and refrigerating.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before eating so the pudding can set. Makes 6 individual servings.

Chocolate Cookie Bars Recipe (Vegan)

We've been having some reactions lately and had to cut out cocoa butter, so I decided to come up with a chocolate cookie bar recipe.  Now Sam can still have that rich chocolate flavor, but without as much sugar as brownies have.  These cookie bars are very chocolate-y and moist and are a great addition to our dessert rotation.

Chocolate Cookie Bars Recipe

1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Spray an 8x8 square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Spread batter evenly into pan with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Instant Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

Sam is sensitive to corn and I haven't been able to find an instant hot cocoa mix without corn syrup in the ingredients in my local grocery store.  So I decided to make my own.  It took a lot of attempts to combine the perfect mix, but it was well worth the effort.  This cocoa is really, really good.  The two kinds of cocoa powder and the two kinds of sugar work very well together.  It's great to have a jar of instant cocoa mix on hand because you can tailor the amount of cocoa mix in the cup depending on the size mug and how much water you are using.  We really love this hot cocoa! 

Instant Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

2 cups instant dry nonfat milk powder
1/2 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and store it in an airtight container (I use a large peanut butter jar).  For best results, before storing in a jar, sift the mixture through a fine mesh collander (this will eliminate any dry milk lumps).  Makes over 3-1/2 cups of cocoa mix.  Shake the jar and/or stir the contents with a spoon before each use to make sure everything is well combined.  Use 3 or more heaping tbsp of instant cocoa mix per cup of boiling water.