Creamiest Chocolate Pudding (lower fat)

When I was a kid, my brother and I loved pudding, especially chocolate. It was the ultimate dessert for us! I still love chocolate in any form and this creamy chocolate pudding does not disappoint. I have made homemade puddings before but the recipes contained eggs and  butter and were so rich and creamy. So I was concerned that this lower fat version would be lacking in appeal to me, but my husband and I both loved it. The original recipe from Cooking Light uses 1% milk and fat free canned milk, but I used only the 2% milk that I always have on hand. So you will need to check out their recipe if you want to lower the fat even more. This Chocolate Pudding has a rich chocolate flavor that comes from both cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, and it has velvety smooth texture. It's a keeper for sure. Hope you'll give it a try.

Creamiest Chocolate Pudding
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk-I used 2% fat
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao, found in the baking aisle)
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large sauce pan add the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt and stir together with a whisk until well combined. Whisk in the milk over medium high heat. Stir continuously until the pudding starts to boil, then reduce the heat, and continue to cook and stir for 1 minute, until the pudding is thick.
remove the pan from the burner and stir in the chopped chocolate and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour pudding into 6 (1 cup) dishes. You'll have about 2/3 cup pudding per dish. Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of pudding. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before eating. Enjoy!

NOTE: Stir the whole time the pudding is on the burner or it may scorch.
Some reviewers suggested heating the milk in the micro-wave first to lower the cooking time of the pudding. That will work; just watch the milk closely so it doesn't bubble over.