July 12, 2014

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups plus 11 other recipes made in a mason jar

It’s the 12th already and do you know what that means? 12 bloggers, 12 recipes, 12 ingredients or less. This month was a really fun theme… food served/cooked in mason jars. I use mason jars all of the time in my kitchen so this was really fun for me.

You know those little puddings in a cup? My kids think that they love them. They always ask for them at grandma’s house and when they have them, they never eat them. They are so yucky! And why aren’t they refrigerated?! That is just odd isn’t it? So between the fake flavors and the gloppy texture half of the contents in that magical little cup end up in the trash (sad, but true). But the appeal of eating those cute little individual puddings is always there. They are just so cute.

I started making homemade pudding cups a year or so ago and we love them. I’ll whip up a batch of pudding, stick them in the half-pint wide mouth jars with the lids and then pop them in the fridge. They make a perfect snack and are just the right amount for little people. Our favorite is to dip animal crackers in them or to add a few sprinkles. And if you are new to homemade pudding you are in for a treat. It’s really easy to make and is amazing. The texture is smooth and creamy and it’s just plain good. This recipe is for the vanilla pudding, but if chocolate is more your thing you can find my homemade chocolate pudding recipe here.

And not only is there an amazing pudding recipe today, but lots of other great looking dishes, all served in jars. You can find the links to them at the end of the post. Be sure to check them out and pin all your favorites. That chicken pot pie in a jar is so clever. My family would love that for dinner.

My Other Recipes

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly add the half-and-half until till combined. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
Over medium-high heat bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly but gently. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, stir to combine. Pour the hot pudding into six 1-cup wide-mouth mason jars, filling the jars an inch from the top. Add a flat lid and then screw on the ring to close the jars. Refrigerate until the pudding is set, about 3 hours. Eat the pudding right out of the mason jars. Add sprinkles before eating for extra smiles.