Chocolate Danette Recipe

Among the many commercial dairy products available in Morocco is Danette, a line of pudding and flan-like desserts produced by the Danone company. The chocolate cream dessert version, which is essentially an eggless cornstarch pudding, is perhaps the most popular, undoubtedly due to its smooth, creamy texture and rich – but not too sweet – chocolate flavor. It truly is delicious, but my family unanimously agrees that the portion-size of the store-bought product is too small to satisfy.

Here's how to make an easy Danette-style chocolate pudding at home. In addition to being elegant enough to serve to grown-ups, kids will be delighted to enjoy more than the few spoonfuls normally packaged of this much-loved treat.

Also try making Homemade Yogurt and Moroccan Rice Pudding.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Cooling and chilling time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (60 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons corn starch (Maizena)
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 (120 ml) cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and corn starch. Very gradually add the milk and cream, whisking after each addition until smooth.

2. Strain the mixture into a medium-sized pot and place over medium heat. Stir constantly for several minutes while the mixture thickens and reaches a simmer. Continue cooking for another minute, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the butter and vanilla, and transfer the hot pudding to a heat-proof bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming, and leave to cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or longer. (Note that the pudding improves in flavor if allowed to chill overnight.)

To serve, dish out the pudding into individual serving bowls.