Peanut Butter & Chocolate Agar Agar Pudding
I have a lot to say about thickeners. What’s the difference between chocolate milk, a chocolate milkshake and chocolate pudding? More or less the thickness, or in other words, the consistency.
Pudding for me is a throwback to my childhood. My mom would make my siblings and me Jello chocolate pudding as a snack and serve it in an assortment of wine glasses. While my parents were working during the summer my brother, sister and I would hang out in the basement and watch cartoons while snacking on pudding. I loved this. I loved the fancy presentation, I loved the rich, decadent texture and I most especially loved the “skin” that formed on the top. It was the best part as far as I was concerned. I would make a small cut with my spoon and carefully eat the pudding underneath, saving the skin for last. So satisfying!
Ages ago I made a pudding recipe from an old cookbook that called for cornstarch. I obediently followed the recipe and was furious to discover that my pudding developed a grainy, sandy consistency. A far cry from the silk smooth texture I had been looking forward to. Ever since, cornstarch has been on my offender log. In retrospect I probably didn’t cook it long enough for the graininess to dissipate. Still. Cornstarch’s ONLY role is to thicken. As for nutrition, it doesn’t bring anything to the table. It’s a refined starch and that’s about it.
Enter agar agar. Agar agar is a seaweed that has been used for centuries to thicken all sorts of Asian dishes, particularly desserts. I’m not one to gush too much about nutritional benefits but I’ll make an exception for agar agar. It’s high in calcium and is a very good source of soluble fiber, the unsung hero of the nutrition world in my opinion. Plus, it’s tasteless making it a perfect addition to whatever you wish to thicken. Hooray!
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ c (825ml) oat milk
2 tsp agar-agar powder or 2 Tbsp flakes
½ c (60g) cocoa powder
¼ c + 2 Tbsp (90g) peanut butter
¼ c + 2 Tbsp (70g) sugar
½ tsp salt
Roasted peanuts and flaky salt for garnishing
DIRECTIONS
In a medium-large saucepan over medium heat combine oat milk and agar agar. Stir, cover and bring to a boil, Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes to ensure that agar agar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Add cocoa powder, peanut butter, sugar and salt to the pot and mix with an immersion blender until dissolved.
Pour into individual molds. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool for at least 1 hour, depending on the size of the container.
Just before serving, garnish with peanuts and flaky salt.
Serves: 6-8, depending on the size of the molds you use
NOTES
This is a very rich pudding. If you want it to be less intense, decrease the cocoa powder by 1-2 Tbsp.
For the best results use a high quality cocoa powder like Valrhona.
If you don’t have an immersion blender then use a regular blender.
Feel free to substitute other milks like almond, dairy, soy or coconut. The latter is particularly rich so you may wish to cut it with some water or use light coconut milk.