Milky Way Chocolate Pudding is a great way to use up some of the leftover Halloween candy I’m sure you will have! This is a small batch of homemade chocolate pudding that is creamy, easy to make, and has all of the delicious flavors of a Milky Way candy bar – chocolate, caramel and nougat.
Milky Way Chocolate Pudding
I may have said it before – but it is worth repeating. Any dessert that has pudding in it is a favorite of mine. It can pudding, pastry cream, custard, mousse, etc., and I will eat it like nobody’s business. There is just something about a lightly sweetened, smooth and creamy dessert that is delectable in my book.
And this Milky Way Chocolate Pudding is no different. Once I realized we were going to have a plethora of leftover Halloween candy, I thought what better treat to put it in than pudding. Especially a Milky Way candy bar.
It seems only natural since all of the layers in the Milky Way can melt beautifully:
- Silky milk chocolate
- Stretchy caramel
- Malt flavored nougat
Add all of that deliciousness to a custard base, and you have yourself a complex flavored chocolate pudding!
How To Make Homemade Pudding
Making homemade pudding is easy. And I realize I say that now after having made those countless batches of pudding. But trust me – it really is easy. And to be cliche – I will say the hardest part is ‘waiting for the pudding (insert any treat here) to cool’.
How to make the pudding:
- Use a heavy bottom saucepan – inexpensive pans do not heat food evenly. A heavy bottom pan distributes heat evenly.
- Heat the milk and maple syrup (or any sweetener of your choice) – we are heating the milk until it scalds – or just hot enough for little bubbles to form along the sides of the pan.
- Mix the egg yolk with cornstarch and a little liquid – in this case, the heavy cream. The liquid dissolves the cornstarch, so we don’t have any pesky lumps.
- Temper the egg yolk – tempering brings the egg yolk to the temperature of the heated milk. Doing this makes sure keeps the egg yolk from scrambling.
- Mix everything in the pot until it bubbles – it only takes a few minutes for the pudding to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and add your flavoring – in this case, the chopped candy bars – and of course, butter (to make it silky).
- Strain the pudding – completely optional. But I always strain my pudding to make sure the end result is free from any unwanted lumps.
- Cover the pudding – and the pudding should be covered directly with plastic wrap. Otherwise, we will have a pumpkin skin on top of the pudding (insert icky face).
- Chill the pudding – I suppose you could enjoy the pudding right away. Though it does set up firmer when it has had time to chill.
Easy enough, right? After you have made a few batches, you will be a pro at pudding making!
Small Batch Milky Way Pudding
You may be asking, ‘if you love pudding so much, why do you make it in small batches?’ Good question. The answer is 1. that is my niche – small batch treats, and 2. portion control. I certainly don’t want to sit around and eat a big ol’ batch of pudding. The quarantine 15 has already welcomed itself here.
In all seriousness – I like small batch pudding desserts because I can use them in other recipes. Such as a:
- Filled cupcakes – Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
- Parfait dessert – Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert, Cranberry Granita Pudding Parfaits, Chocolate Butterscotch Pudding Parfait,
- Filling in layer cakes
- Napoleons – Pumpkin Pudding Napoleon Pastries
- Cream puff filling
Tips For Making Milky Way Chocolate Pudding
- Use whole milk and heavy whipping cream – these make for a smooth, rich, pudding.
- Use a sweetener of your choice – I use maple syrup for a refined-sugar free sweetener, and I like the taste. However, you can use granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or any sweetener you prefer. One note – for this recipe, I don’t use a lot of sweetener because the candy bars are sweet.
- More or less candy bars – I found 8 Milky Way Mini’s to be the right amount of sweetness and flavor. But, feel free to sweeten and flavor to your taste.
- Cover the pudding directly with plastic wrap – I noted this above, but it is important to make sure you don’t have a skin form on the top of your pudding.
- Chill the pudding – as tempting as it is to eat the pudding right away, chilling the pudding will set it even more.
Think of the possibilities with all of the other Halloween candy you may have leftover … Happy Halloween!
More Halloween Treats
- Gingerbread Halloween Skeleton Cookies
- Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes with Spooky Filling
- Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert
Milky Way Chocolate Pudding – Small Batch
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- 1 ½ tablespoons corn starch
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or any sweetener of choice)
- 8 mini (approx. 1/3 cup) Milky Way candy bars, chopped (plus more for topping)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and maple syrup over medium heat until the maple syrup melts and bubbles start to form along the sides of the pan. Be careful not to boil.
- While the milk mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolk, cornstarch and heavy cream in a medium bowl, until thoroughly combined.
- Once the milk has heated, slowly drizzle in about half the mix into the bowl with the egg mixture. Whisk constantly – this makes sure the egg yolk does not scramble. Add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Still whisking constantly, cook the pudding over medium heat until it thickens and bubbles – about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the chopped Milky Way candy bars, vanilla extract, and butter. Stir until the candy bars have melted and the pudding is smooth and creamy.
- Strain the pudding over a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap – with the wrap directly touching the top of the pudding. This will keep a skin from forming on the top of the pudding.
- Refrigerate the pudding for at least 2 hours to set fully, or overnight.
- Transfer the cooled pudding to serving dishes and top with more chopped candy bars. Enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- I used the Milky Way mini candy bars – not the ‘fun size’.
- You can use more or less candy bars based on taste preference. I found 8 to be just enough to sweeten the pudding and get the flavor of the candy bar.
- Straining the pudding is optional. I do it just in case there are any clumps.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
Just a note for your followers who eat gluten free. Milky Way candy bars contain malt, and are not gluten free. Only the Dark Chocolate Midnight Milky Way bars are gluten free.
Thanks for letting us know!