Low-Calorie Chocolate Pudding!

Okay, it's probably not healthy. But it's low calorie and that's good too... right? Right! Of course it is!

I've gone from someone who never bothered with dessert, ever in my life, to someone who feels obligated to serve and eat it every single day due to my partner's after-dinner sweet-tooth.

I'm pushing him — us! — to eat healthier. Yes, yes, a New Years Resolution, oh my! And that means no more giant cookies, brownies, slices, gigantic bowls of icecream, etc, after our already gigantic dinner. I'm changing our dinner ingredients, portions, everything, and so too will I be changing our desserts.

It's just unfortunate that it's The New Year and everyone is on holiday and I can't acquire some basic ingredients, so I'm stuck trying to work things out with what's left in my pantry until all the grocery stores get their deliveries back on track.

And so! I have decided that tonight's dessert shall be some form of PUDDING!

Ingredients:

🍉 2 cups of lite milk (approx. 200 calories)
🍒 1/3 cup of cocoa powder (approx. 40 calories)
🥝 1/4 cup of maple syrup (approx. 200 calories) _{~ if I had low-calorie sweetener that'd be great.}
🍍 1/2 cup of lite milk + 3 tablespoons cornstarch (approx. 140 calories)
🍓 a splash of vanilla (approx. 10 calories)

Divide that by 4 serves and you've got: 150 calories a serve! Please don't eat the entire lot to yourself; that defeats the purpose. 😜

Whisk the 2 cups of milk with maple syrup and cocoa powder in a saucepan, medium heat, until warm and all is dissolved and well-combined.

Mix together the other 1/2 cup of milk with the cornstarch until smooth, then add to the chocolate mixture. Bring to boil, mixing the entire time, until nice and thick.

Take off the heat and add your vanilla, mix it well into the mixture.

And pop it into your awaiting ramekins or cups or bowls or whatever you choose to use! This is actually the first time I'm using these ramekins. 😅 I bought them two years ago for little pot pies... aaaandddd never used them.

I decided to sprinkle some chocolate chips on top, just because. Adding another 30 odd calories to each one with that action. Oh well. They're still under 200 calories aaaaand, since there's three of us, there's one left for tomorrow! Yay! There will be a fight to the death. 🤣

If you're like me and don't really consider something "low calorie" unless it's 80 calories or less... I apologise. But considering a normal chocolate pudding is like, 400 calories, it's still fairly low calorie, aaaaaand, there's a decent amount there too. I hate seeing recipes that are like, "Low calorie brownies!" only to find out that it's low calorie if you only have one teeny tiny smidgen. Of course it's low calorie if you only have one teeny tiny smidgen!

It also tastes alright! I would, however, recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder unless you like that dark chocolate flavour. 😅 Something to make note of for next time, haha.

 

Until next time!! 🍨

 

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_{All photos in this post are courtesy of me, @kaelci and were taken with a Samsung S21.}