Inspired by the popular Halloween treat, this Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert is a fun way to celebrate the spooky time of year! The pudding parfaits are layers of smooth and creamy vanilla and pumpkin pudding, then topped with whipped cream. This small batch dessert mimics the cute little candies, and with a more sophisticated flavor.
Fun Halloween Dessert Parfait
It’s that time of year, and I couldn’t be more excited. For me, Halloween represents the change of the seasons; the upcoming turkey day feast; and Hallmark Christmas movies. Yes, I watch Hallmark Christmas movies. All. The. Time.
I didn’t get around to making Halloween inspired treats last year. And I am definitely making up for it this year. There are some fun desserts in the works! Stay tuned …
Of course, I couldn’t not have a dessert inspired by the most popular Halloween candy – the candy corn. And to be honest, I’m not a fan of candy corn. I’ll eat a couple here and there, but any more than that and I feel a little queasy.
What Do Candy Corn Pudding Parfaits Taste Like
Even though this recipe is inspired by the little sugar bomb, the Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert tastes nothing like its namesake. These Halloween parfaits are layers of :
- Vanilla Pudding – Smooth, creamy, and the perfect amount of vanilla
- Pumpkin Pudding – Pumpkin puree and fall spices make this layer taste like a creamy version of pumpkin pie
- Whipped Cream – Light and more hints of vanilla
And I added small drops of food coloring for good measure.
Small Batch Candy Corn Pudding
Let’s talk about the pudding in the Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert.
It’s starts with a batch of vanilla pudding. Because we are using the vanilla pudding as the base for the pumpkin pudding, it is, what I guess you could call, a normal size batch.
But, we are going to make it into smaller batches.
- The vanilla pudding is divided in half once it is done cooking. And the only flavor in the vanilla pudding is, you guessed it, vanilla.
- Then we take the other half of the vanilla pudding and add the pumpkin puree and cozy pumpkin pie spice.
Now we have two small batches of pudding.
As a reminder, the pudding tastes nothing like candy corn. It just looks like it. So, not sure if that is good or bad. Let’s just say we have a more sophisticated palate than we did when we were kids, shoveling fistfuls of candy corn in our mouth.
Halloween Candy Inspired Treat
When I thought of this recipe idea (and I’m not the only one, so I’m not taking any claim to being the originator), I pondered which candy corn color I would mimic.
To be fair to the original candy, it had to be yellow, orange, and white. Though, when I saw the bag with the orange and brown candies, I had a little internal struggle. Orange and brown would equal pumpkin and chocolate. Ya-umm. But, I am going to save that for next time. Original it is.
Plus – how great is it that we can take the cloyingly sweet Halloween candies (pick any candy for that matter) and reimagine them with different flavors. As you can imagine, the wheels are cranking here at Butter and Bliss on what the next Halloween candy inspired dessert will be …
Tips For Making Candy Corn Pudding
I’ve made pudding so many times now, I feel like I should change the name of the blog to Pudding and Bliss. I say that only to indicate (and inspire) that pudding really isn’t hard to make.
- I recommend whole milk and heavy cream – I’ve tried other milk fats (even coconut milk) and the pudding just doesn’t turn out as luxurious and creamy .
- Don’t let the milk/cream heat too long – Don’t let the milk/cream boil. Heat it until it ‘scalds’ and little bubbles form along the side of the pan.
- Tempering the egg yolks isn’t too scary – I used to ladle in the hot milk and whisk. Now I just slowly pour in a stream of the hot milk into the egg yolks. Ladling was too messy.
- Strain the pudding – I do this every time, regardless if I think the pudding is lump free. It reassures me that the pudding will be free of lumps and bumps.
- Start sparingly with the food coloring – A little goes a long, long way. As you can see, I opted not to have the neon colors of the actual candy.
- Cover the pudding directly with plastic wrap – When the pudding is ready to be chilled, the plastic wrap placed directly on top of the pudding will keep a skin from forming.
- Make the pudding the night before – If you can. Then you will be assured that it has set up nicely.
That’s enough tips. I have Halloween candy to eat. 🙂
More Fall Inspired Dessert Recipes
- Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies with Maple Icing
- Chocolate Sugar Cookie Sandwiches
- Pumpkin Pudding Napoleon Pastries
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache Frosting
- Creamy Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert
Ingredients
Base Vanilla Pudding
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 large egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pumpkin Pudding
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 6 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin (room temperature)
- yellow food coloring (optional)
- red food coloring (optional )
- Whipped Coconut Cream (optional – for topping)
Instructions
Base Vanilla Pudding
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the milk and maple syrup. Heat the milk until it is scalding (just below boiling – small bubbles will form around the side of the saucepan) – do not boil. Remove from the heat.
- While the milk is heating, in a medium bowl add the cream, egg yolk, and corn starch. Whisk until the corn starch dissolves.
- Slowly drizzle about half of the heated milk into the corn starch mixture, whisking constantly. This tempers the egg yolk so it does not scramble. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to medium heat. Gently whisk constantly until the pudding just starts to thicken – about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- To the pudding, add the vanilla extract and butter. Whisk until the butter melts.
- Transfer half of the vanilla pudding to a mixing bowl. Coloring the vanilla pudding – If you want to color the pudding to be more yellow, add 1 small drop of yellow food coloring, and stir until fully mixed. Cover the vanilla pudding with plastic wrap set directly on top of the pudding – this keeps a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours – or overnight is best.
Pumpkin Pudding
- With the remaining vanilla pudding still in the saucepan, add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk until the pudding is fully incorporated. Transfer the pumpkin pudding to another mixing bowl. Coloring the pumpkin pudding – If you want to color the pumpkin pudding to be more orange, add 1 small drop of the red and 1 small drop of yellow food coloring, and stir until fully mixed. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap set directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Assembling the parfaits – Spoon in equal amounts of your vanilla/yellow pudding into your parfait glasses. How many parfaits will depend on the size of your glasses. Then spoon equal amounts of the pumpkin pudding over the vanilla. Top with a whipped cream of your choice, or our Whipped Coconut Cream. Top with a candy corn candy, and enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- Pumpkin – Depending on the brand, canned pumpkin can have different names, but is the same thing: Pumpkin Puree, Pure Pumpkin, 100% Pumpkin, Organic Pure Pumpkin. Just be sure it is not Pumpkin Pie Filling.