Pudim de Bolacha Maria (Chocolate Pudding with Cookies)

Happy First Snow Day (for New Yorkers anyway)! 🙂

Today I’m making a chocolate pudding with cookies.  This is a popular Portuguese dessert, containing sweetened condensed milk.  Really, I think nearly every Portuguese dessert contains sweetened condensed milk!  It’ something I equate with desserts growing up, and I’m not complaining!  I’ve seen this type of chocolate pudding made in different ways, many containing more or less the same ingredients.  This version is from my Grandmother, Teodora.

Yields: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

5 egg yolks

2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

Whole milk, measured in the two 14-ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk

2 3.1-ounce instant chocolate mousse mix

2 packets of 8-ounce “Maria Biscuit Cookies”

Note: I use the Maria biscuit cookies made by the Goya brand, and they can usually be found in the Hispanic/Latin grocery aisle.

Directions:

1) In a small bowl, whisk together corn starch and egg yolks.  Add a little milk as needed, to remove any clumps from the corn starch and set aside.

2) In a large pot, add sweetened condensed milk.  Using one of the empty sweetened condensed cans, pour two cans worth of milk into the pot, and stir frequently over very low heat.

3) Into the pot, add the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring for approximately five minutes or until the cream thickens.  Be careful to not burn the cream, which can quickly happen. Once thickened, set aside.

4) Prepare chocolate mousse according to the box instructions and set aside.

5) In a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex dish, spread over the bottom a thin layer of cream.  Spread cookies evenly on top, and repeat a layer of cream and then cookies.  Spread a final and third layer of cream, and top it off with the chocolate mousse.  If so desired, crush the cookies and sprinkle over the mousse.