Make Ahead
by: Arathi
February24,2011
3.8
4 Ratings
- Serves 8
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
Sometimes (actually pretty often) I eat Nutella out of the jar for breakfast. I'll eat it in pretty much any form. I've seen recipes for Nutella panna cotta, but I generally like pudding better than panna cotta, so I thought I'd try to come up with a pudding recipe. After two recent failed attempts at Nutella fudge, I know that Nutella scorches easily and loses its taste when heated too much. So I thought I'd try with good bittersweet chocolate and hazelnuts instead -- a little more adult than Nutella, and less easy to scorch. —Arathi
Test Kitchen Notes
Arathi had us at Nutella. Of course, when we read past the recipe title and saw how she steeped the milk with freshly roasted hazelnuts and vanilla before making the base, and that she used Dorie Greenspan's blender method to ensure a velvety mouthfeel, we knew we were in the hands of a pudding expert. This is nursery food with a twist, and it truly tastes like Nutella -- only better. We couldn't resist stealing pinches of the vanilla milk-soaked hazelnuts after we strained them from the base, and we highly suggest you do the same. -A&M —The Editors
- Test Kitchen-Approved
- Your Best Pudding Contest Finalist
What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
"Nutella"Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cupswhole hazelnuts
- 2 cupswhole milk
- 1 cuphalf and half
- 1 vanilla bean
- 6 extra-large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoonscornstarch, sifted
- 1/2 cupsugar
- 1 large pinch salt
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoonsbutter
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Let cool. When cool, put in a clean towel and rub vigorously to remove skins (you can also just use your fingers). It's okay if some skin is left on -- you're going to strain later.
- Chop the cooled hazelnuts to a coarse crumb in a food processor.
- Make the hazelnut-infused cream: Put the milk and half and half in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add both the bean and seeds to the milk. Add the hazelnuts and heat to scalding over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and salt together in a large bowl until thick and pale yellow.
- In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Strain the milk-hazelnut mixture into the egg yolk mixture, half a cup at a time, whisking after each addition until you've added about a cup and a half. Then strain and whisk in the rest of the milk. Return to the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the custard is thick and starts to bubble, about 3 minutes.
- Strain the thickened custard into a clean bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate-butter mixture.
- Optional, but highly recommended: Scrape the entire pudding into a blender or food processor and process for about 30 seconds, until silky-smooth. I learned this from Dorie Greenspan's pudding recipes, and it really gives the pudding a wonderful lightness.
- Spoon the pudding into small ramekins or dessert cups, cover with plastic wrap and chill, overnight if possible. DO NOT eat it unchilled -- right after you make it the flavors will not have blended and will taste a little off.
Tags:
- Pudding
- American
- Hazelnut
- Chocolate
- Bean
- Milk/Cream
- Make Ahead
- Serves a Crowd
- Dessert
Contest Entries
- Your Best Pudding
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73 Reviews
Isa June 22, 2020
This was a hit. Delicious and rich...a little goes a long way! We served these with some improvised cookies made from the excess chopped/soaked hazelnut. These were *also* a hit...this is what we did: put the nuts back in the food processor along with 1/4 cup unsalted butter cut in small-ish chunks, a scant 1/2 cup of vanilla sugar (regular would be fine if you don’t have vanilla!), and 3/4 cups AP flour. Whirred it together and made into 1/4” thick cookies, about 1” across. Baked at 350 for ~10”. This made about 40 cookies. Which are quite nice with coffee the next day ;). Thank you for a great recipe! We will certainly make this again!
Miss_Karen April 11, 2019
How about a splash of Frangelico just for kicks & giggles?
Michele H. July 7, 2016
Besides being less easy to scorch, Nutella is actually vile stuff - I did a project where I figured out the recipe using algebra. It is like 1/3 sugar, 1/3 Palm oil, and the rest is a whiff of cocoa, hazelnuts and dried milk.
I know it isn't supposed to be health food, but when you can easily get hazelnuts and good chocolate yourself, why not use them!
Imran R. March 9, 2016
I just made this and it was delicious; great chocolate flavor and fantastic texture. BUT -- the hazelnut flavor was almost totally lacking. Think I followed the directions correctly -- toasted them and had them in the cream for a little over 20 minutes. Any ideas on what I might have done wrong? Perhaps I needed to chop them much more finely than I did? Otherwise I'll keep making this but completely skip the hazelnuts, since they made the recipe about 2x as complicated.
Chris V. July 25, 2014
This is absolutely wonderful! One of my favorite recipes I've found on this site. Everyone I shared this with loved it. Thank you so much for sharing, Arathi!
martini July 10, 2013
1 cup half and half, of what
fiveandspice July 10, 2013
Half-and-half is a product you can buy in the US, it's basically half cream and half milk mixed together, often used for putting in coffee.
Mishie March 8, 2013
So excited to try this! Could the same result be achieved by replacing the last blender step with a hand mixer? I don't have a blender but silky smooth pudding sounds like something to strive for :)
marynn October 22, 2011
Oh drat, cookiecakes! I just read your suggestion after having shoved the poached hazelnuts down the disposal. Hmmm...guess I'll just have to make this unbelievable pudding again. Sarah, this is divine. I could not get my husband out of the kitchen (which was OK 'cause that way, he could clean up).
cookiecakes October 21, 2011
This is the second time in a month I am making this! It is absolutely heavenly. If you don't want to waste those delicious cream-cooked nuts, chop them up with graham crakers in the food processor, press into a square baking dish and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. When the crust is cool, pour the pudding over and top with whip cream!!! Nutella Pudding Pie!
Arathi October 26, 2011
Oh wow! I'm so glad you liked it! The chopped but crust is an AWESOME idea! I will definitely try that out the next time I make this. Thanks!
Miss_Karen April 11, 2019
What amount of Graham crackers for the crust?
Minimally I. September 24, 2011
Arathi - I just made a batch of Nutella Pudding and I'm lucky it made it to the fridge. If it tastes this good warm (when the flavors are off), I'm in real trouble tomorrow! Can't wait to dig in. Thanks for submitting this recipe.
Arathi September 25, 2011
Oooh! I'm so glad you liked it, and excited that you tried it out. Let me know how it tastes cold - it's just my preference to eat it cold because I feel it tastes more Nutella-y that way. Let me know what you think, and thanks so much for letting me know!
Minimally I. September 26, 2011
Hi Arathi, I can't reply to your reply, but just wanted you to know that it. was. incredible. I'll have to sample it again and often to determine the ideal serving temperature, but I don't think there's a wrong one. :)
LocalSavour March 8, 2011
Nutella. Pudding. Um, there's really nothing more to say then that. Congrats on being a finalist!
Arathi March 10, 2011
Thank you!
LittleRobinRed March 6, 2011
I made this and the flavor was amazing! Better than Nutella, if that's possible. Hard to believe the nuts aren't even in there when it's all said and done because there's so much hazelnut flavor. The texture of my pudding was a little lumpy, I did skip the last straining and didn't do the food processor step, so I would recommend that others be less lazy. My pudding was also a little runny, I'm thinking I should have cooked it a little longer. I just took it right off the heat as soon at it started to boil.
Arathi March 7, 2011
So glad you liked it! I think the last straining is what would chiefly reduce lumpiness. But I hear you on skipping those steps - I'm always tempted to do it so I don't have to clean even more dishes.
monkeymom March 4, 2011
Nutella is a favorite at our house. This recipe looks great! Congrats on making the finals.
Arathi March 7, 2011
Thanks monkeymom!
TiggyBee March 4, 2011
What a cool recipe! Congrats on this!!
Arathi March 7, 2011
Thank you TiggyBee!
singing_baker March 4, 2011
Congrats on being a finalist! I loooove nutella. I can't wait to try this!
Arathi March 7, 2011
Thank you singing_baker! I made your roasted fennel and white bean dip for a party last weekend and everyone loved it. Thank you so much!
gwennw March 4, 2011
I have the dessert course for my next dinner party! I absolutely cannot keep a jar of Nutella in my house anymore. Between my daughter and I, it will last just a few days....a spoon here, and spoon there... Next thing you know, we have finished off an entire jar in two days!
Arathi March 7, 2011
Thank you gwennw! Do let me know if you try it out! I love this Nutella-jar-eaters club :)
mjlandry March 3, 2011
I just ate a heaping tablespoon of Nutella from the jar and then i come to this website and see this pudding recipe! You have got to be kidding. I am making this ASAP! Sounds like a delicious pudding:-)
Arathi March 7, 2011
Thank you! Please let me know how it turnd out if you do try it!
Sagegreen March 3, 2011
Congrats, Arathi, on being a finalist. Nutella sure can hit a soft spot with a lot of folks!
lapadia March 3, 2011
I second this comment!!
Arathi March 7, 2011
I know! I'm so happy to find more people share my love of Nutella.
Waverly March 3, 2011
NUTELLA! NUTELLA! NUTELLA!
Arathi March 7, 2011
Ha :) This summarizes my thought process :)
violist March 3, 2011
AH, Nutella. I was introduced to something like it in Italy, but it then took another 20 years before I discovered it here with that name! To section an apple, and spread it with Nutella, is one of lives great culinary pleasures. Elvis, if he would have known about Nutella, would have NEVER used peanut butter. I can't wait to make this pudding. Thanks, Arathi
Arathi March 7, 2011
Thank you! The Nutella-apple combo sounds great, I will definitely be trying it out.
