Butterscotch Pudding with Coconut Palm Sugar

Butterscotch Pudding (with vanilla bean)

Several years ago, I bought a bag of something I had never seen before from the proprietors of Coracao Confections; it was coconut palm sugar, and they were using it in their amazing line of organic, raw, low-glycemic chocolates.  Well, coconut palm sugar is now all the rage.  Dr. Oz did a segment on it on his program, promoting it as part of a weight-loss strategy (the idea being that if you evened out the highs and lows of sugar, you wouldn't get so many cravings.)

I've been using this delicious, caramel-noted sweetener in a lot of my almost sugar-free recipes; just a few spoonfuls can bring wonderful flavor and texture to the mix, boosting the flavors and texture of my sweetener trio; erythritol, xylitol, and stevia.  I was inspired in the last few weeks to invent two new pudding recipes using coconut palm sugar.  Both of them are so delicious that, frankly, I blew my own mind.

The first one uses whole cow's milk.  The second one is vegan, and uses whole coconut milk.  Either way - me-OW, that's good eats!  Just be aware that once you get started, it's very hard to stop eating this yummy stuff.  But hey, milk is full of protein and calcium, and coconut milk is very good for your immune system, and either way, it's low carb and low glycemic!


Butterscotch Pudding with Coconut Palm Sugar

Version One:  Dairy
I.
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB plus 1 tsp corn starch (or tapioca starch)

II.
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

III.
2 TB unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a heavy, medium-sized sauce pan, whisk the sugar, salt and starch.

2. Whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Over medium heat, whisking/stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full boil, and then cook for one minute.

3.  Add the butter and vanilla, and stir well to combine.  Cool, pour into a heat-proof container, and chill. If you wish to prevent a "skin" from forming, you can cover the pudding with a buttered round of wax or parchment paper.

Version Two: Coconut Milk (Vegan)

I.
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB plus 1 tsp corn starch (or tapioca starch)

II.
1 can of full-fat coconut milk (14 ounces)

III.

1 tsp vanilla extract


1. In a heavy, medium-sized sauce pan, whisk the sugar, salt and starch.

2. Whisk in the coconut milk. Over medium heat, whisking/stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full boil, and then cook for one minute.

3.  Add the vanilla, and stir well to combine.  Cool, pour into a heat-proof container, and chill. If you wish to prevent a "skin" from forming, you can cover the pudding with a greased round of wax or parchment paper.

Notes:  the pudding will thicken as it cools, so don't panic if it seems thin when you have finished cooking it.   If you are really feeling expansive, you can use half of a fresh vanilla bean instead of the vanilla extract.