Spooky Forest Pudding Cups

Chocolate trees and candy pumpkins bring these sweet treats to life.

By Tara BenchPublished: Sep 6, 2019

1 Rating

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spooky forest pudding cups recipe halloween treats

Brian Woodcock

Yields:

Total Time:

3 hrs 50 mins

Placed together on your Halloween dessert table, these fun, chocolate-filled pudding cups are sure to delight. An optional smattering of sprinkles is a sweet addition to the “branches” on these trees. Download the tree template here.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 1/2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
20 whole chocolate sandwich cookies, plus 12 crushed
1 1/2 cups chocolate candy melts
4- or 6-inch bamboo skewers
Chocolate sprinkles, optional
Candy pumpkins, for decorating

Directions

1. Step 1Whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk and eggs. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until mixture just begins to bubble and thicken, 5 to 7 minutes. (Make sure to stir the bottom and inside corners of the pan to prevent scorching.) Remove from heat. Add chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
2. Step 2Place 1 whole cookie on the bottom of 10 juice glasses (about 6 ounces each). Top with half of the pudding, dividing evenly. Top with a second cookie. Top each glass with remaining pudding, dividing evenly. Top with crushed cookies, dividing evenly; cover and chill.
3. Step 3Place tree template under a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet. Melt candy melts according to package directions. Transfer to a heavy-duty zip-top bag and cut a small hole in one corner. Pipe a line of melted chocolate on the trunks of the trees and place the bamboo skewers on top. Pipe chocolate over the bamboo skewer and over the rest of the lines on the template to create trees (this can be done loosely—there is no need to follow the template exactly). Sprinkle the branches with chocolate sprinkles. Chill until set.
4. Step 4Insert chocolate trees into glasses of pudding and decorate with candy pumpkins.