There's not too many people who don't have an affinity for peanut butter! This American favorite has countless fans, not just in the USA, but world-wide. Peanut butter is quite economical in comparison to many foods, especially meat. It's also packed full of nutrition, with plenty of protein. Its fan base extends from children to senior citizens.
There are many great recipes that use peanut butter, but I have one to share that's rather unique. "Peanut Butter Pudding" is a simple, down-to-earth dessert flavored with peanut butter. There are numerous flavors of pudding available in packaged mixes, but this is one that's made from scratch and is well-worth the extra little bit of time to prepare.
In looking at the recipe, you'll see that it calls for cornstarch, as most all puddings do. Yet, it only calls for 1-1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. That doesn't sound like much cornstarch and it isn't, but this will be all you'll need to thicken the pudding. It also calls for whole milk. While low-fat or fat-free milk could be used, it produces a pudding that's not as thick as when made with whole milk, though it still tastes fine. But, if you like your pudding more on the traditional side of thickness, go with the whole milk. It makes a surprising difference.
The 1/3 cup of peanut butter may be either the creamy or crunchy, depending on personal preference. Once cooked, the pudding may be poured into individual dishes or one dish, covered, and refrigerated. If you cover the dish(es) with a sheet of plastic wrap before placing in the refrigerator, the pudding won't form the thick skin on top, as is characteristic with most all puddings when they're refrigerated. Make sure that the plastic touches the surface of the pudding, however.
This is an easy and good recipe to have, especially when you find money is getting tight. You'll most likely already have the ingredients on hand, so that's a savings! This serves four, but can be multiplied to serve more, according to the number of servings needed.
If you need a good chocolate sauce recipe to top this pudding, I shared one during Valentine's week when I devoted a whole week to chocolate recipes. Here's the link, in case you didn't get it before:
http://www.examiner.com/article/chocolate-sauce-that-s-creamy-and-rich
If you enjoy pudding, as well as peanut butter, this will be sure to please, especially if you serve it with chocolate sauce:
PEANUT BUTTER PUDDING
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (correct amount)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (either crunchy or creamy)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan; gradually stir in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool When it's gotten fairly cool, add the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Turn into dessert dishes or one large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 4 hours. Serves 4
To make it extra good and taste more like candy, top it with chocolate sauce and it'll be a real treat. This can also be topped with whipped cream or whipped topping or even a spoonful of grape jelly would go well with it.
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