Chocolate Pudding with Tea Biscuits & Coconuts

Chocolate Pudding with Tea Biscuits and Coconuts

This is one of my mother in law Nevzat Ari's signature desserts. She added a twist to the good ol' chocolate pudding by letting the pudding set on tea biscuits. She has a version of this dessert in her refrigerator almost all the time. Although she would mostly garnish it with coconuts, occasionally she would use grated pistachio nuts or walnuts as garnish on top. Sometimes she would make it in individual pudding dishes, but she would mostly make it in a large Pyrex dish as described below. Regardless, with so many grandchildren around, it moves quickly and before you know it, she is in the kitchen making some more. It is a very light dessert, especially if you use non-fat milk. You can experiment with using a bit less sugar if you like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 5 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 heaping table spoons corn starch
• 2 heaping table spoons cocoa powder
• 8 oz (about 35) Tea Biscuits or Petit Beurres
• 1 cup coconut flakes

You would need a heat resistant dish (Pyrex) approximately 14 in x 10 in. 

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine sugar, starch and cocoa powder. Slowly add 1 cup of milk, stirring with a whisk to make it a smooth mixture. Set aside.

Milk, starch and cocoa mixture

Break tea biscuits into pieces, place them in the Pyrex or other heat resistant dish, making sure pieces are evenly spread.

Tea biscuit pieces placed in a heat resistant dish

In a large pot heat 4 cups of milk, stirring occasionally over medium heat. When it starts to boil, slowly add the chocolate mixture. Continue to stir until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat.

Slowly pour 3/4 of the pudding over the tea biscuit pieces in the Pyrex dish. Gently stir with a spoon making sure pieces are submerged in the pudding. 

3/4 of the chocolate pudding poured over biscuit pieces

 Then add the rest of the pudding to the top, making sure the surface is even and smooth. 

Chocolate pudding is spread over the biscuit pieces

 Let it cool to room temperature. Sprinkle coconut flakes over the set pudding. Chill in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour before serving.

Coconut flakes are sprinkled over the chocolate pudding

Cut into squares to serve on individual plates.

Chocolate Pudding with tea biscuits and coconuts

 Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!