mexican hot chocolate tapioca pudding

 

happy valentine's!!!!! today i am sharing my final valentine's inspired recipe of 2019 & of course it HAS to involve chocolate. a couple years ago i shared the recipe for mexican hot chocolate brownies & everyone went nuts for them! chocolate with an unexpected kick of heat is so good, that i had to put those flavours into a chocolate pudding too.

i grew up loving both tapioca & rice puddings. my mom & i would make it all the time! this is an adult version of our childhood favourite. if you are planning a romantic valentine's dinner or a galentine's party, this dessert can be prepared a day in advance. stress free prep for the win! i used bob's red mill's small pearl tapioca, which doesn't require soaking the tapioca for 24 hours. be sure to check which tapioca you are using before hand, just incase it does require a cold soak prior to cooking with! to make the pudding a little extra healthy, i also used bob's red mill's date sugar & whole milk (instead of cream). the date sugar is an alternative sweetender made from "deglet noor" dates. it can be used as a one-to-one replacement with white or light brown sugar. so valentine's day or not, this is a pudding you'll want to induldge in guilt free this winter.

p.s. as promised, i am including a final round up of all my favourite valentine's recipes over the years! i hope the list below inspires you to make a few love treats over the weekend. xo

  1. lover's leap panna cotta
  2. galentine's sweet & salty party mix
  3. green tea + chocolate glazed donuts
  4. valentine's cherry chip cake
  5. mexican hot chocolate brownies
  6. earl grey shortbread cookies
  7. strawberry cheesecake pancakes
  8. sweetheart's chocolate pie

ingredients

  • 1/3 cup bob's red mill’s small pearl tapioca
  • 3/4 cup water, room temperature
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup bob's red mill’s date sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 large egg yolk, beaten
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup quality dark chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • fresh whipped cream, for topping

directions

  • in a sauce pot add the water & tapioca pearls. let stand 30 minutes to allow tapioca to soften.
  • whisk in the milk, date sugar & salt. place pot on stove top over low heat. continuously stirring, cook over low heat until tapioca is cooked & the sugar has completely dissolved, about 8 minutes.
  • in a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolk & egg. add a 1/4 cup of the milk mixture to temper into the eggs. add eggs back to sauce pot whisking vigorously.
  • cook an additional 60 seconds, to allow pudding to thicken.
  • remove from heat & whisk in the chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & cayenne.
  • enjoy warm or serve at room temperature with a dollop or whipped cream!