Dairy-free Chocolate Pudding

Today was the last day of VBS {Vacation Bible School} and evidently they saved the best snack for last! Today’s yummy sweet treat was Dirt Pudding with Gummy Worms. So, I made plans for Daughter’s yummy alternative. I’ve tried using Jell-O pudding mix (which doesn’t include milk ingredients, but you have to add milk to it for it to turn out right) and I have used almond milk instead of cow’s milk. However, it doesn’t set up right. It’s runny and globby. Not smooth and silky like real pudding. And because I love Daughter more than McDonald’s $1 Sweet Tea, I wanted her to have the best chocolate pudding she ever laid her lips on. So, I googled dairy-free pudding and found this. All I can say is WOW! It is de-LISH! The ingredients? Well, here they are:

Mix 3T Cornstarch & 2T Cold Water together in a small bowl until dissolved and set aside. Then, in saucepan, mix 1/3 c sugar, 1/4 c cocoa powder, pinch of salt on Medium-Low heat while slowly adding 2 cups of Almond Milk (1/4 c at a time) to this mixture. Constantly mix until smooth. Heat until mixture forms a thin layer on top and steam rises just from the top. (Do NOT boil.) Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips {Whole Foods has their own brand for $2.99}. Let sit for 3 minutes. Then, with wooden spoon, mix the melted chips with the liquid mixture. Put back on Medium-Low heat and slowly add cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly until mixture thickens almost to the thickness you prefer. Remove from heat and pour into individual dishes. Let sit 20 minutes and then cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 2 hours. This is the point that I put my crushed Oreos on the top. I will have to add a pic of that scrumptious pudding later. It’s late and I’m tired. Sorry!

Daughter L-O-V-E-D this!  Big hit! Definitely going to make this again….soon!

Sweet Treats!

Rita’s Italian Ice offered FREE regular size Italian Ices today in honor of the 1st Day of Spring!  If you haven’t gotten yours yet, hurry!  They close at 10pm.  Anyway, my husband had to run an errand tonight so he took our two oldest with him.  He loves to take the girls out for special treats every once in awhile, so what better time to do it than when it’s FREE?  So, I quickly got online and checked out Rita’s website looking for an allergy menu of sorts and lo, and behold, they have one!  My daughter can totally enjoy her special treat tonight along with her older sister and everyone else that happens to be there!  This thrills my heart!!  I’ve added this sweet treat to my ‘Eating Out’ tab at the top of the page for future reference.