I love dessert. I love it more than I should. But we’ll overlook that just this once, okay? I’m going to give you my favorite recipe for homemade pudding that’s so easy and so much yummier than the stuff that comes in the box. And I have such a fun new thing to show you how to make with this new recipe today: homemade pudding pops! Or use this idea to make yogurt pops. Or ice pops. Or smoothie pops. Whatever floats your boat. The key to making these super-fun treats is the zip-top baggies that you can fill yourself with all your favorite flavors.
These little Zipzickle baggies hold 3 fluid ounces each, which is just about perfect for a refreshing frozen treat on a warm day. I’m filling mine with pudding this time, although the possibilities are many. They come in a pack of 36, which is a handy amount for making a stockpile of delicious homemade healthy treats. Full disclosure – you can buy cheaper popsicle baggies if you’re willing to buy a larger quantity, but reviewers say the cheaper ones tend to leak, so be okay with throwing out a few if you buy the less expensive brands. You will probably still come out with a better bargain if you’re willing to toss a few that might have an issue. Reviewers also say that even though the Zipzickle baggies aren’t intended for reuse (they’re marketed as disposable), many of them wash the baggies out and use them again. That’s up to you.
Here’s a Zipzickle juice pop and packet of trail mix that I made. Perfect for snacking on the go!
There are a few ways to get your treat into the baggies. First, you’ll want to rub the baggie between your fingers or put a spoon in there to open the baggie up. Then you can fill it. ZipZickle recommends this batter pen, but I don’t have one, so I improvised. The top of the bag is sturdy enough that you can pinch it open and spoon your deliciousness into it, or you can use small funnels. The little orange one came in a candy-making kit that’s long since been discontinued, but the large opening sure was helpful. I can see where the batter pen would be very handy indeed if a person wanted to make a lot of these. A piping bag would work, too, if you have them on hand. A few days after I made up my bunch of pudding pops, I found this cute little purple collapsible funnel at a big box store for about $2, and next time I’ll use that. Note that there’s a fill line marked on the baggie. Don’t fill past that line or you risk bursting a seam when the contents freeze.
When you’re ready to eat your treat, I find it helpful to hold it in my hand just long enough to slightly warm it so I can push the treat up and eat it. If your treat is a little sticky (like frozen pudding!) you might want to cut the top off the baggie to make it easier to push up.
And now for the recipe!
Perhaps you’ve never made homemade pudding before. I can’t blame you, after all. Box mixes are so easy and so convenient. The pistachio pops in my photo were made with a box mix I bought for a recipe that I never did get around to, so I’m not going to judge. Let me tell you, though, there’s nothing quite like eating a creamy, cold bowl of homemade pudding. It’s just… different. Better. (And it gets a skin on top that we race each other to get.) SO. GOOD. Anyhow, if you’re a homemade pudding newbie, there’s one important thing to do, and that’s to temper the egg yolks. Tempering the eggs means to slowly drizzle the hot mixture into the room-temperature eggs while whisking them, so that the eggs’ temperature rises without cooking them into scrambled eggs. You need to add at least half of the hot mixture to the eggs before adding the now-warm eggs back into the saucepan.
Homemade Pudding
Make creamy, delicious pudding at home in no time!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbs cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 egg yolks slightly beaten
- 2 tbs butter softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir milk in gradually.
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Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil gently, stirring constantly, for one minute.
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Gradually blend at least half of the milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Pour this back into the saucepan. Boil and stir one minute.
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Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla extract. Pour into dessert dishes. Cool slightly and refrigerate.
Recipe Notes
For chocolate pudding: Increase sugar to 1/2 cup and stir 1/3 cup cocoa powder into the sugar mixture. Omit the butter.
(This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link, I may earn a small commission from any sales that result. It does not affect your purchase price in any way, but it helps me afford my goats’ animal cracker addiction. I am not affiliated with Zipzickle in any way; I’m just having fun using their product.)