Real Vanilla Pudding
In the pursuit of feeding my family real, whole food ingredients I never want them to feel deprived when it comes to sweets. I used to only offer sweets on special occasions when Pepper was really little but recently I’ve relaxed a bit around sweets and we’re having something “special” every evening as part of our ritual. Sometimes that something special is as simple as strawberries with a spoonful of homemade whipped cream. Other times it’s a small piece of dark chocolate. Some evenings it’s our nourishing hot cocoa, but most recently, it’s been a small serving of this homemade vanilla pudding. One of the reason’s I’ve relaxed more around sweets is because at home I can control the ingredients. This pudding is not only chock full of real, nourishing ingredients, but it is so darn decadent that I’ve caught my toddler closing her eyes as she slowly savors every bite. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen watching her take in all of the rich and creamy goodness that is this REAL DEAL vanilla pudding.
We use fresh raw milk in our pudding but any non-homogenized milk will work. I don’t think this pareticalr recipe will work with a non dairy milk (though if you’re dairy free I’m sure there are recipes online with an alternative milk). The whole milk is combined with egg yolks, arrowroot powder, maple syrup and vanilla to create an unbelievably smooth and creamy texture that only gets better as it sits in the fridge (though we still like eating this right off the stove the day we make it because it’s really good eaten warm too!)
We added a pinch of ground cardamom to our pudding and I highly recommend doing that!! Cinnamon would work as well, but honestly, the cardamom takes this to a whole new level that even toddlers can appreciate. I hope you and your little ones enjoy this simple, homemade treat as much as we do. Feel free to add a few dark chocolate chips when serving this for good measure!
Before we jump to the recipe let me break down some of the nutritional information.
Whole milk is a wonderful ingredient for young, growing children. It has important vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that include potassium, B12, calcium, vitamin D and saturated fat (which is essential for young children to consume).
Egg yolks are considered a super food for human consumption. They contain hard to get vitamins and minerals that most foods lack and they are a wonderful food to serve young growing babies and children. They contain choline and cholesterol which are essential for brain development. They also offer a good amount of vitamin D, B12 and folate.
Butter contains a number of antioxidants that protect the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. According to the Weston A Price Foundation, both vitamin A and E which are found in butter play a strong antioxidant role in the body. Butter is also a good dietary source of cholesterol.
Maple syrup (while still considered an added sugar) is a natural sweetener that is chock full of antioxidants and nutrients like riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. However, since maple syrup is not considered a whole food and is in fact an added sugar, it’s not recommended to serve to children under two. That’s why I sweeten most of my baked goods with dates if the recipe allows for that. In the case of this pudding— for texture reasons, I went with maple syrup and I’m serving this to my almost 3-year-old.
With all of that information I hope you are ready to break out your wooden spoon and get whisking!!
Cheers from our little kitchen to yours!
Real Vanilla Pudding
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES SERVES: 6-8
2 3/4 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Preparation
In a saucepan over medium heat add your milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, arrowroot powder, salt and cardamom. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Be patient and don’t stop whisking as you don’t want any of the milk to burn on the bottom of the pot. Just when you think the mixture isn’t going to thicken, it will. Trust me!
When the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon remove it from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter.
Divide the pudding into individual ramekins and enjoy warm or place in the fridge to cool and firm up a bit.
Top with your desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
This recipe is adapted from “Our Small House”. Store pudding in the fridge for 5 days.
