I love these for so many reasons. First they’re not going to spike your blood sugar. But more importantly they only take a few minutes to stir up AND use ingredients you probably have in your pantry – perfect for those nights when you haven’t planned anything for dessert but then feel like something warm and chocolatey. I like them with lashings of double cream but if you’re OK with a sugar hit, ice cream is also good.
Easy Little Chocolate Puddings
Ingredients
- 30 g almond meal (almond flour) 4 tablespoons
- 45 g milk 3 tablespoons
- 12 g cocoa powder 2 tablespoons
- 1 pinch pure stevia powder* OR 1-2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). Grease two 1 cup ramekins or oven-proof tea cups.
- In a small bowl mix almond meal, milk, cocoa powder, stevia, egg, vanilla (if using) and baking powder until well combined. Taste and add more stevia if needed. Divide mixture between your prepared ramekins / cups.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the puddings feel springy to touch. I like them slightly under baked so they’re squidgy in the middle. Serve warm or at room temp.
Variations
*important note about stevia! – there are 4 types of stevia:
1. Pure Stevia Powder – looks like icing (powdered / confectioners) sugar. It’s expensive but a tiny amount goes a long long way. We’re talking a tiny pinch here.
2. Granular Stevia (like Natvia or Truvia) – looks like regular white sugar. It’s a blend of erythritol and stevia. You’ll need 1-2 tablespoons here.
3. Fresh or Dried Stevia Leaves – from a real stevia plant! I haven’t baked with them but they will behave similar to the pure stevia powder. Just add to taste.
4. Liquid stevia. I haven’t used this. But add to taste.
granular stevia – replace powder with 1-2 tablespoons granular stevia.
no stevia – use your favourite sweetener… Honey, maple syrup, xylitol or white sugar! Just add and taste until you’re happy with the sweetness level. A few tablespoons should be enough.
sugar lovers – use 3 tablespoons white or brown sugar. If you like things on the sweeter side, add more.
dairy-free – use your favourite non-dairy milk such as almond, hemp or coconut.
ginger puddings – replace the cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger.
peanut butter – add a big tablespoon of peanut butter to the center of each pud before baking.
double chocolate – add a square of dark chocolate to the middle of each pud before baking.
hazelnut – replace almond meal with hazelnut meal.
nut-free – replace the almond meal with 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil – and they won’t be low carb any more.
more servings – feel free to double or triple. I’ve included the weight measurements in case you have more mouths to feed!
carb lovers / more substantial – serve with ice cream!
keto / ultra low carb – serve dark chocolate instead of the pudding.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – next time use more sweetener and possibly try a different cocoa powder. For now a drizzle of this quck chocolate sauce or some maple syrup will help.
too dry – next time check earlier. For now serve with extra cream.
no oven – you could cook them in the microwave – zap for 2 minutes then check and keep zapping for 30 second intervals until cooked.
soggy / sinking in the middle – next time cook longer. For now hide the hole with cream 😉
Waste Avoidance Strategy
almond meal / cocoa powder / stevia / vanilla extract / baking powder – keep them in the pantry.
milk – will keep in the fridge for a week or so. Use for another meal.
eggs – I keep mine in the pantry because we eat a lot of eggs. Will last much longer in the fridge.
Shelf Life / Storage
Best when first baked and while still warm from the oven. Can be kept for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. Keeps for months in the freezer.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I made these in the microwave and turned out great.
greased the dishes and
Cooked for 1 minute on 90% power
Is it really tablespoons of sugar? That seems like a lot if you’re using any regular sweeteners. I hate the taste of Stevia, so I wouldn’t use that. I’ll have to try making it to see how sweet it is and can adjust after that.
I feel so fancy using ramekins. ☺️ Bought some for a couple of your recipes. Just made this recipe for the second time, love how simple and delicious it is without being sugary. ?
oh yay for ramekins Heather!
I made a double batch of this after making The Ploughman’s ‘Pie’(my ramekins fit neatly into plastic takeaway rice containers – yes, I wash them first!), and used half breadcrumbs, half almond meal. I forgot to add the baking powder to the bowl, but stirred some into the ramekins and it seemed to work OK. I didn’t put in much sugar at all, so ice cream was particularly good with them.
As I mention elsewhere, I’m wondering about making a lemon version. Were I to use good lemon cordial in place of the cocoa, do you think that I should increase the amount of almond meal and decrease the amount of milk by the same volume?
Hi Mark,
I have been making these with coconut flour. I only use 2 Tbs of flour, and then replace the milk with lemon juice, and it is nice if you add the zest as well. Of course I leave out the cocoa as well. they are a bit grainy, but very tasty!
Yum Gillian!
I don’t have any coconut flour at the moment so thinking I would replace the cocoa with extra almond meal and use lemon juice instead of the milk. Love it!
Delicious! And almost too easy ?. I used hazelnut meal and rice malt syrup and served with cream.
ooh I have some hazelnut meal that needs using up -thanks Fiona!
I often make a similar version and bake it in the microwave. Just a cup in a mug. I recently bought some coconut flour and want to try that, and I realize I will have to increase the liquid. Maybe lemon juice instead of the milk.
ooh I like the sound of a lemon pudding Gillian!
I made this last night, and also thought about making lemon pudding this way instead. Have you yet? TBH I’ve thrown out the last of the coconut “flour” that I had, because it doesn’t seem to be much use as flour.
Yes a lemon pudding would be lovely!
I had a go tonight with straight substitution of 2 Tbsp lemon cordial for milk (so still adding a Tbsp of (coconut) milk) and cocoa powder, lemon essence for vanilla, and 1 Tbsp of sugar. It puffed up nicely, but collapsed when it cooled, so might have needed more almond meal, but was good anyway.
I was thinking about how to do this lemon version Mark – maybe if you replace the cocoa with almond meal as well so you get the extra solids in there it will be more stable. Thanks for sharing your experiments!
Hi there Jules! I was wondering if it would be possible to cook these in the microwave? If so, how long would you recommend cooking them for? Thank you!
I don’t see why not Anna!
I’d start with 1 minute and then keep checking every minute – will probably take 2 or 3 all up.
Let me know how you get on
Jx
Yummy! So easy when I’m craving a small amount of sweets. I followed the recipe except instead of stevia I used 3 T of brown sugar. I am getting ready to hit the Amazon order button to buy some pure stevia powder, and I will make this recipe again, and write another comment about the taste difference between the sugar/stevia, if any. I bought the Sunday Baking Sessions cookbook/pdf, and am excited to try some new recipes. I had gestational diabetes, and need to watch my sugar intake! And, I love sweets…
So glad you liked them Jenny! Look forward to hearing what you think about the stevia. And thanks for buying my new book!