Brownie Pudding Recipe

Picture this scenario: you're in the mood for dessert, but you just can't decide whether to whip up a fresh batch of pudding or a platter of brownies. Well hey, who ever said you can't have both? Certainly not chef and recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished! "I love brownies and particularly like them when they are super soft and almost undercooked in the center," Shelbert explains. "Doing a steamed pudding achieves this texture without being undercooked." 

The inspiration for this "steamed pudding with a moist, almost sponge texture" was partially Shelbert's own taste preferences. She does add, however, that "traditional British puddings inspired this as well." Once you've tried a bite of the stuff, you'll be inspired to make it again and again, especially because it's really quite a quick and easy dish to prep. There's plenty of chocolatey goodness to go around in this brownie pudding recipe, so let's get right into it!

It doesn't take much to make an amazing dessert, it turns out. All you need for this one is some all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, eggs, sugar, some vanilla extract, and some melted butter. Oh, and some vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup for proper topping, of course.

To start off, preheat the oven to 325 F and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Next, add the flour and cocoa powder to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine them, then set these aside. Now add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a mixer and mix on medium speed for five to seven minutes, until the sugar is fully combined and the eggs are well whipped. "The biggest tip is to make sure that the eggs and sugar are beaten for a minimum of five minutes — it's time consuming but worth it when you taste the finished product," Shelbert says.

Next, add the vanilla and the cocoa mixture to the mixer with the sugar and eggs, and mix on low until everything has just combined. Then, add the melted butter and mix on low, again until just combined. Shelbert has some words of caution to offer here: "Do not over mix!"

Now, it's time to turn the batter out into the prepared baking dish. Spread it out evenly and smooth the top with a spatula. Next, place the baking dish into a larger baking dish, then pour water into the larger baking dish so that it comes halfway up the sides of the two-quart baking dish. "No need to be intimidated," Shelbert says in reference to cooking the dish in a bath. "Just take care when removing the pudding from the bath."

Carefully place the nestled dishes in the preheated oven and bake the brownie pudding for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is just barely set. A toothpick inserted into the center should not come out clean — the center should be moist and chocolatey.

Next, carefully remove the brownie pan from the water bath and set aside to cool slightly. Then serve it warm with ice cream, and do serve it fast after the baking! "Since it is warm, the ice cream melts making it so decadent," Shelbert describes. Now enough talking, and dig into your decadent dessert!