Butterscotch and Cookie Crumble Pudding

I don't think I've ever been in a pudding-making mood...that is until today! For some reason, the idea of making (and, of course, delighting in) butterscotch pudding was exactly what my heart desired. My favorite restaurant in Provo, Utah called Communal has the most addictive butterscotch dessert. Once I even ordered the dessert for take out at 1 in the afternoon. My recreation of it was wonderfully successful, I must say!

The butterscotch is tasty and creamy and is relatively easy to make! I googled butterscotch pudding and took from several recipes to understand the gist of how to make the stuff. For some reason, I thought that butterscotch was a flavor or an extract that needs to be added as an ingredient. After making the pudding, however, I discovered that flavor simply comes from brown sugar. Who knew? I put the ingredients in a pan and warmed it all up over medium heat. After a little bit of stirring and about 15 minutes, the sugar milk convention magically became pudding! That's something I love about cooking: you witness and are a part of a transformation!

While the pudding was setting, I got out my mixer and poured heavy whipping cream, sugar, and a touch of vanilla extract into the bowl. I set the mixer on high for a few minutes and had delicious whipped cream to top off the pudding. I couldn't remember whether the restaurant layered the whipped cream in the dessert or not, but for convenience's sake, I decided to only top my dessert with the cream.

The pudding takes about an hour to set fully, if not longer. During the wait, I prepped the cookie crumble. This consisted of simply smashing Oreos in a plastic bag. Granted, not the most elegant image, but it got the job done and made for the good chocolate cookie crumble I was hoping for. Layering the pudding with the crumble is key! It adds extra texture for those who are like me and cannot quite stomach the gloppy texture of pudding on its own. I need a little crunch to truly enjoy it.

I could've added more layers of cookie crumble in my pudding delight, but two layers of crumble was sufficient and still remarkably delicious! Adding some crumbs to the top of the whipped cream as a garnish completes the dessert as the most delicious looking thing in my kitchen! Almost too beautiful to eat...almost ;)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cup Brown Sugar

• 1/4 cup Cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

• 3 cups Milk

• 4 whole Large Egg Yolks

• 2 Tablespoons Butter

• Heavy Whipping Cream

• Splash of Vanilla Extract

• Dash of Sugar

• Chocolate cookies (e.g., Oreos)

Instructions:

Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium nonstick pan. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and egg yolks. Then add to the pan with the brown sugar-milk mixture and stir to combine. Begin to cook over medium heat, stirring ever so often until it begins to get very thick (about 10-20 minutes).

Meanwhile, make the whipped cream by mixing the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until the mixture peaks. While the pudding continues to cook, crush chocolate cookies (Oreos) in a bag to make the cookie crumble. Layer the bottom of a jar or serving bowl with the crumble.

Once the pudding reaches pudding consistency, stir in the butter until melted. Remove it from the heat and spoon it into the jars or serving bowls (which already should have a layer of cookie crumble at the bottom). Continue layering the pudding and cookie crumble. Top with whipped cream and dash a little leftover crumble on top.