St. Patrick’s Day is here. Naturally, I love any holiday that congers up thoughts of food. Easter = ham. Thanksgiving = turkey. Fourth of July = BBQ. Christmas = cookies. Coronavirus = mixed drinks. Oops, that’s a post for later this week. 😉
The luck of the Irish will bring about corned beef and cabbage (my kitchen smells like beefy goodness right now), soda bread, and – when my restaurant was open, anyway – Guinness Pudding. It’s so dark, rich and thick it almost looks like you pulled a mug straight from the tap.
As with any simple dish (and this one only has five components!) it’s important to use the best ingredients you can find. I like to get genuine Guinness Stout and high-quality chocolate (but who are we kidding, it’ll work just fine in a pinch with Budweiser and Nestle chocolate morsels, too – I promise.)
Get the recipe for Guinness Chocolate Pudding below!
I believe what often separates a restaurant meal from one we might enjoy at home is the garnish (yeah, I’m talking about you, Parsley!). This pudding is no different. I like to serve it with a bit of barely sweetened whipped cream and some toasted graham cracker crumbs. The lightness and the crunch take it over the top.
A note on the crumb topping – I use a recipe I found in a cookbook by Christina Tosi. She is a genius. Buy her book!
The serving size may seem small, but even for the most extreme sweet tooth, it will probably be enough.
Small servings are just right for this dessert. 
Lightly sweetened whipped cream rounds out the richness of the pudding. 
A little crunch balances all the creaminess!
Shout-out to Mom in this post for the serving vessels. Those are vintage champagne coupe glasses in the pictures, and I adore them. Luckily for me, she had the good taste to choose beautiful dishes for her wedding registry and the good sense to give them to me when she was in the process of ‘down-sizing’.
Now as for my next move, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m going to eat one of those puddings so I can refill my glass with Champagne.
Here’s hoping you find a little Luck O’ The Irish this year!
Leave the eggs on a towel so they won’t roll off the counter! 
Mix the sugar into the eggs immediately so they don’t curdle. 
The mixture will be grainy but smooth.
Guinness Chocolate Pudding
Course: Sweet TreatsCuisine: Irish, AmericanDifficulty: Medium8
servings10
minutes10
minutesThis rich, decadent pudding doesn’t require many ingredients but it will make your family swoon!
Ingredients
- For Pudding
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp (1.25 grams) salt
1 (11.2 oz bottle) Guinness Draught or Extra Stout
2-1/4 cups heavy cream
7 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate
- For Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
- For Graham Cracker Crumbs
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup milk powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp (5 grams) salt
4 tbsp heavy cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Directions
- To Make Pudding:
- In large bowl, mix together egg yolks, sugar and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Add Guinness and 2-1/4 cups cream to heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Over medium heat, let mixture come up just to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let sit about 5 minutes and then whisk to combine.
- Slowly add chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture. Whisking constantly so the eggs don’t curdle. Return mixture to sauce pan and bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. As soon as you see the first bubbles start to come to the surface, remove from heat.
- Using an immersion blender, mix on high for a minute or two until the pudding is completely smooth. Portion into 8 (6 oz-ish) glasses. Place in refrigerator until cold.
- To Make Whipped Cream
- Mix 1 cup heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl. Whisk until medium-firm peaks form and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To Make Crumb Mixture
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Add all crumb ingredients together in small bowl. Mix to combine.
- Dump crumb mixture onto small parchment-lined or Pam-sprayed sheet pan. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate and give them a quick toss if they aren’t browning evenly.
- Let cool at room temperature and then sprinkle on top of puddings with reckless abandon.
Notes
- See below for some recommendations on saving the egg whites to be used in another recipe. They separate better when cold and freeze very well.
- In cooking the pudding, there is a fine line between “not cooked enough” and “cooked too much”. The former – your pudding will never thicken when refrigerated. The latter – it will become grainy and separate. Cook JUST until you start to see those little bubbles come up from the bottom of the pan and -seriously- stir it the WHOLE TIME.
- The crumb recipe will give you plenty extra but I always make a full batch because I can’t NOT eat it!
- I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, in the big red box. If you can, purchase it at Amazon or Walmart. If not, I recommend weighing your salt to get accurate results. The volume of salt can vary by as much as 75% by weight so it can make a HUGE difference to your recipe.
- I always use unsalted butter in my recipes so I can control how much goes in. If you choose to use salted butter, cut back considerably on the salt amount listed.
- *CHEF TIP* – use a bread knife when chopping chocolate. The edge of the blade won’t slip so you’re less likely to cut your fingers off.
Fold over the zipper part of bag to make filling easier. 
Label everything! We think we’ll remember, but that isn’t reality! 
Chef trick! Use a bread knife when chopping chocolate so you don’t cut your fingers off!
Awesome stuff! The Hubs give it a 10!! ;—)
Ha, ha! Thanks honey! You’re always my biggest fan!