Chia pudding is a staple in our house. Believe it or not, it works just as well for dessert as it does for breakfast. I have a couple of chia pudding recipes on this site, but this one is much thicker and creamier than the others because it’s made with Greek yogurt rather than milk. I have been playing round with the ingredients a bit. The original recipe is intensely chocolaty and not terribly sweet. Recently I swapped one tablespoon of cocoa powder with a tablespoon of vanilla protein powder, and it was delicious. I top mine with frozen blueberries before I eat it. My son likes pineapple. Granola would also be delicious.

One of my sons attended Cornell.We visited several times and every time I requested that we eat at the Toni Morrison dining hall. It was incredible – best college food I have ever eaten. I looked forward to eating their every visit. One of my other sons has talked about Cornell’s chia pudding ever since he tried it. He loved it because it was nice and thick. According to him, this recipe is better than Cornell’s. That’s quite an endorsement.

Thick Chocolate Chia Pudding
Recipe slightly modified from 101 Cookbooks

1 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 Tablespoons chia seeds
5 Tablespoons cacao powder or 4 Tablespoons cacao powder + 1Tablespoon vanilla protein powder
3 Tablespoons maple syrup

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and use a hand blender to mix them all together. You might be able to do this by hand, but the hand blender makes short work of it. Once mixed, let it sit for at least three hours in the refrigerator before you eat it. Leaving it overnight is ideal. Top with your favorite fruit or granola.

Yield: 3 servings