Over the last few years, A has taken over the baking duties in our house. I am still responsible for cooking dinner every night, but she is always on the hunt for the next big dessert. She has been so busy this summer that she really hasn't had time to bake, which is probably a good thing, but last night I felt like having a little sweet after our meal. Of course, I hadn't planned ahead, so it had to be with only things I had in the pantry, and I wanted it to be fast. I found this recipe for Baked Chocolate Pudding in one of D's old cookbooks that I had actually never even opened before. It's from 1000 Classic Recipes from Around the World by Jo-Anne Cox and Elizabeth Towers, and it fit the bill with only seven ingredients. I did leave out the walnuts as who wants crunchy bits in your pudding?

The other great part of this recipe is that it doesn't require a mixer. I softened the butter


and easily creamed it together with the brown sugar by hand.


Then I added two eggs that I had beaten with a fork


and unsweetened cocoa powder and baked in a buttered casserole for 35 minutes while we ate dinner.


When I pulled it out of the oven, I let it cool for five minutes then dusted the top with confectioner's sugar. The result is a creamy texture with some crispy, chewy bits around the edges.

Make sure you eat it warm!