Salted Caramel Pudding
Cool and creamy homemade pudding, full of the rich and buttery flavor of salted caramel, layered with crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs and fresh whipped cream. There’s no wrong time for this unforgettable dessert!
If I were to ask you, “What is the most memorable dessert you’ve ever tasted,” what pops into your brain?
Is it something your grandmother made for you? Something you’ve made yourself that really stands out? Or maybe it was something you ate at a restaurant.
For me, it’s the latter. Years ago, Mr. and I enjoyed a stellar meal at Barbuzzo in Philadelphia. Each course was better than the last, and the whole experienced culminated in a dessert that truly blew us away. I haven’t forgotten it since.
I was speechless. The flavors were just like pure heaven. Sweet and complex, rich, with a refreshing yet comforting velvet-y texture that just kept me going back for more. We ended up returning to Barbuzzo again, not long after (a rarity for us, when there are so many fabulous foodie destinations in Philly), just so that we could experience that dessert one more time.
Not long after that, I discovered that chef Turney had shared her fabulous recipe with Bon Appetit, and both the Mr. and I were thrilled. I’ve since made it several times, and it never disappoints. In this version, I’ve scaled it down, replacing the whole milk with 1% (it’s what I keep on hand, and the extra egg and butter add richness back in), and substituting crushed Oreos for the base, just because I think they’re easier to find than the Famous Wafers that the original recipe calls for. If you’re serving a larger crowd, it doubles and even triples beautifully.
There is no bad time to make this dessert. It just works, no matter the occasion. You can serve it at a dressy dinner party, or curl up on the sofa and enjoy it in your jammies. Personally, I think it’s perfect football food. It’s approachable, because it’s pudding, but the taste is bonkers, so it’ll still be sure to impress your guests.
And, it can be made ahead! I like to prepare everything but the whipped cream in advance. Keep the cookie crumbs in an airtight container at room temperature, and the pudding in the fridge. An hour or so before the guests arrive, whip the cream, layer it all in plastic cups or mason jars, and set it out on a tray. The crumbs will stay crunchy for a couple of hours, and the cleanup is minimal. 😉
You could also drizzle a little salted caramel sauce over the whole thing! That would really elevate the flavors… Check out my favorite salted caramel sauce recipe here. It’s done in less than 10 minutes and it will truly make you swoon!
As you can see, this recipe uses just the egg yolks. If you aren’t quite sure what to do with the leftover whites, here are a few ideas to get you going:
Raspberry Meringues with Whipped Ganache
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Excellent quality vanilla makes all the difference in the world, for this recipe! I love Lagrima Vanilla Extract, and here is a link to the candy thermometer I like to use for cooking custards and caramel: Candy Thermometer. It makes recipes like this one a breeze!
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Salted Caramel Pudding
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Pudding
- 1/3 cup (73.33 g) dark brown sugar, , loosely packed
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 g) cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups (354.88 ml) milk,, divided (I used 1%)
- 3 egg yolks,, large
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the garnishes
- 10 (120 g) Oreo cookies,, crushed finely (approx. 3/4 cup crumbs)
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) heavy cream,, whipped to soft peaks with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
To Make the Salted Caramel Pudding:
- Place the brown sugar and water in a small pot and cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer registers 215 degrees F. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the cornstarch in a medium pot and whisk in 1/4 cup of the milk. When there are no lumps remaining, stir in the remaining milk. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
- Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and whisk the hot milk in, just a little at a time, taking care not to scramble the eggs.
- Stir in the slightly cooled caramel, transfer the mixture back to the pot, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened (about 5 minutes, or to a temperature of 175 degrees F).
- Immediately remove from the heat, stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt, and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-safe vessel. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding, and chill through (2 hours to overnight).
To Serve:
- Place a tablespoon or two of cookie crumbs in the bottom of each serving cup. Layer with chilled salted caramel pudding, and top with sweetened whipped cream.
This is so perfect, Allie. I’m a sucker for budinos and I would definitely rank them at the top of my favorite dessert list. My most memorable desserts all come from New Orleans, actually. (All of them are even part of the restaurant group I work for, just out of coincidence!) One is a hazelnut pudding with condensed milk, the other a steamed masa buttermilk cake, and then a deconstructed banana pudding with nilla wafer ice cream. So good!
Oh my gosh! All of those desserts sound incredible but I am especially loving the nilla wafer ice cream because it totally sounds like something I’d see on Glazed & Confused 😉
yes and yes!! delicious!
Yay! So glad you liked, thanks for the great feedback! 😀
Oh my word, this is perfect!
Thank you sweetie!
Allie, I totally need this as I type this. Salted.caramel.pudding. Totally heaven on a spoon!
Aw, thank you so much Linda!
These look INSANE! I love sea salt caramel ice cream but have never tried caramel pudding. Drool (in the least elderly way possible.) Pinning the recipe!
Lol thank you Liv! I love the ice cream too but the pudding is pretty great! Thanks so much for sharing on Pinterest 🙂
Ahhhh salted caramel pudding!! This just looks amazing Allie!!
Thank you so much Zainab! It’s one of our favorite desserts for sure 😉
I <3 pudding so much. It is seriously a comfort food. And salted caramel for life! I was just commenting on another blog saying how glad I was that it is a trend that has stayed. It's addictive! And really good! 🙂 Pinning these puddings, I have a feeling they're going to be the new memorable dessert at our house!
Yay! Thank you for pinning Mary Frances! And yes, Salted Caramel should never go away. It’s soooo good!
Oh Allie, this does look like a taste of heaven! Love salted caramel anything and in a creamy and rich pudding layered with crushed Oreos? Simply perfect!
I love anything salted caramel too. It’s like the one thing that holds a candle to chocolate, in my opinion! Thank you so much Kelly! Hope you’re having a great week my friend 🙂
Allie, another PHENOMENAL dessert! This looks sooo lush and creamy and velvety! It’s like grown up, incredibly classy dirt-pudding (if you will excuse such a reference)!!! Love this.
Haha so true! I was actually thinking that while I was
inhaling ittasting for quality control. Thank you so much for reading and commenting Lina!Girl no you didn’t! This sounds like heaven and sin all wrapped up in one. Awesome pictures!
Thanks Nicole! That’s such a great compliment; your photos are always amazing! Hope you’re having a great week my dear!
Oh gosh, this looks absolutely divine. Sofa + jammies + this pudding = the perfect recipe for a cozy Friday night in…can’t wait!
YES! I couldn’t agree more- you’ve just described my ultimate fantasy 😛
Oh my goodness, this looks so decadent and delicious! Haha, this might be the my most memorable dessert after giving this recipe a taste! Pinned
Haha! Thank you so much Michelle!
Oh man, this looks absolutely unreal! Salted caramel is one of my favorite flavors of all time, and I bet the crunch and texture from the crushed oreos makes the pairing absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much Christine! It’s a favorite of mine too and you’re right- the crushed oreos give a great crunch! Thanks so much for stopping by and for the sweet comment!
Pudding deserves more respect in the dessert world. Obviously I love pudding. So does my family. For several years one of my sons wanted pudding instead of a birthday cake. This is a grand version of the taste wonder of pudding.
I totally agree! Pudding gets the short end of the stick and I suppose it’s because we often think of a powder in a box. But really homemade pudding is pretty simple to make and so delicious! Thanks so much Carol!
I love it!
Awesome! Thanks so much 😉
The most memorable dessert for me has to be carrot pudding which is a recipe passed down from generations – generation in my family! But nothing and I mean NOTHING can beat the buttery, sugary taste of caramel in pudding form on a bed of crushed Oreos!!!!! Just thinking about how it would taste is making me salivate and drool all over my screen Allie! Totally pinning this!!!! <3
Carrot pudding sounds amazing! You should totally do a blog post Samina! I’d love to read more about that. Thanks so much for pinning sweetie!
If that is the best dessert you have ever had then I definitely need to try it because you know desserts. Seriously I need to get to Philly now! This looks heavenly.
Girl this was the most talked about dessert in Philly for a couple of years there, and for good reason! You get yourself over here and I’ll treat!
Salted caramel and oreos?! SOLD. These look like heaven!
Thanks Miss Messy! They truly are my idea of heaven, lol 😉
Just the looks of this pudding is pure heave, Allie! Gorgeous, girl!! The most memorable dessert for me would have to be a sweet potato pots de creme from a little place in Richmond. AMAZING!
Sweet potato pot de creme?! Wow that sounds amazing- what a creative idea! Girl you’ve gotta recreate that!
I want a little pure heaven!! Allie, these look sooo good!!! The most memorable dessert I’ve ever tasted? A chocolate mousse at a restaurant in Seattle. . unforgettable. This is the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert!!! love this!
Oh my gosh, chocolate mousse! Yes… I need to make that asap 😉 Thank you so much Alice! Hope you’re having a great day love!