Simple Cooked Butterscotch Pudding

When you can't find Butterscotch Instant Pudding in any of your local grocery stores you go home and cook up this Simple Cooked Butterscotch Pudding to fill the gap.  You may never go back to instant pudding again!

I wanted to make this Peanut Butter Chocolate Trifle to take to our church Fellowship Dinner (potluck) this past week but I couldn't find a butterscotch instant pudding (as that's what the recipe calls for) anywhere. 

 

I decided to make a cooked pudding to substitute for instant one but I didn't want anything complicated --just plain and simple.  Most recipes add eggs or egg yolks to a butterscotch pudding but even that was not what I wanted because the pudding gets mixed with peanut butter and cream so it is a rich mixture even without eggs.  I fiddled around with brown sugar, cornstarch, milk and flavouring and this is what I came up with.  Don was my Guinea pig tester and actually asked if there was more because he really liked it.  You can see his serving up above with the whipped cream and crushed up chocolate bar. Sadly I had to turn him down as I needed every bit of the remaining pudding for the dessert I was making and I couldn't make more because I had forgotten to buy more cornstarch on my last grocery trip.

The trifle was a great success made with the homemade pudding and I'm guessing I won't wear out my shoes looking for instant pudding in the future. 

Please use the dark brown sugar in this recipe for the best flavour and colour.  You will still get an acceptable and tasty pudding if you only have light brown sugar but as I said the dark brown sugar will give you the best results.

Printable recipe at end of post.

Simple Cooked Butterscotch Pudding

• ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2¼ - 2½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 tablespoon butter

How to make it:

In a medium saucepan mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Gradually add about ½ cup of the milk dissolving any lumps of sugar or cornstarch.  Place the saucepan on medium heat and whisk in the remaining milk. (For a thinner pudding use a total 2½ cups of milk.) Change whisk to a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon and stir continually until pudding comes to a gentle boil. Cook and stir another 2 minutes to make sure the cornstarch is fully cooked.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter, stirring until butter has melted and is incorporated into the hot pudding.  

Serve the pudding warm or cold.  If serving cold, lay a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper directly on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. 

If serving the pudding cold you may top with a dollop of whipped cream or topping.  

Makes 4-6 servings. 

In a medium saucepan mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Gradually add about ½ cup of the milk dissolving any lumps of sugar or cornstarch.  Place the saucepan on medium heat and whisk in the remaining milk. Change the whisk for a wooden spoon or spatula and continue cooking until the pudding comes to a gentle boil.

Cook and stir another 2 minutes to make sure the cornstarch is fully cooked.   Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter, stirring until butter has melted and is incorporated into the hot pudding. Serve the pudding warm or cold.

Warm pudding sure is good on a cold day.

If serving cold cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until chilled. 

A dollop of cream and a few pieces of crushed chocolate bar fancies up a plain pudding. 

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩