Better Than Average, Jell-O Chocolate Fudge Pudding Is Tasty!

The Good: Tastes good, Easy to prepare, Unprepared has a great shelf life
The Bad: Not terribly nutritious, Limited shelf life when made.
The Basics: One of the more obscure flavors of Jell-O pudding, Chocolate Fudge is a richer chocolate flavor that is delicious.


This morning when I awoke, I made two decisions pertaining to my review blog. The first was that I would not transfer over my terrible review of Carrington (a tremendously boring film I saw once, wrote a blurb-like review of years ago and could come up with absolutely nothing to flesh it out with now, years later) and that if I could find it in the Amazon database, I would review the chocolate fudge pudding my wife made me last night. Well, having forever deleted my Carrington review, I am now up to the second task.

Last night, we had Chocolate Fudge Jell-O pudding. Recently, a major grocery store in our area went bankrupt and was bought out by a competitor and the new store has been getting rid of all the other chain's products they don't want to sell. Somehow, Jell-O Chocolate Fudge instant pudding & pie filling fell into that category. I'm not sure why, because this was the best chocolate pudding I remember having in recent memory. To be fair, though, it has been years since I made pudding myself.

Basics

Pudding is a pretty basic dessert to begin with. For those who have never had it, pudding a dairy-based dessert which makes milk into a flavored semisolid (colloid) and if there is a less appetizing way for me to describe it, I have not yet found it. Pudding it the midpoint between flavored milk and ice cream, usually served chilled. Jell-O brand Chocolate Fudge pudding and pie filling is s flavor that attempts to more closely mimic the taste of a rich chocolate fudge. It succeeds in tasting more potently chocolate, but it is no more fudge-flavored than the standard Chocolate pudding. That said, if this flavor were to replace the basic Chocolate pudding, one suspects more fans of chocolate would be happy and might eat more pudding.

Jell-O Chocolate Fudge pudding comes in a powder, sealed in a bag, in a 3.9 oz. box. That makes about four servings when prepared.

Ease of Preparation

Jell-O instant Chocolate Fudge pudding is remarkably simple to make. The steps to making the pudding from the solid to the full, creamy dessert are simple. Simply empty the powder from the box and bag into a bowl. Add two cups of milk (I tend to recommend 2% as opposed to skim for this as it helps keep the pudding firm) and whip it for two minutes. Then, simply refrigerate and in five minutes, you have pudding. For better results, I tend to wait half an hour so the pudding is set a bit more firmly. This is a very simple dessert to make up.

Taste

When one sticks their nose close to the dish of Chocolate Fudge Jell-O pudding, they will smell a strong, dark chocolate aroma. This is actually quite inviting, though the scent lessens significantly, the longer the pudding is out.

Jell-o's Chocolate Fudge flavor is a richer, thicker chocolate that tastes closer to a true milk chocolate chocolate bar than the standard Chocolate flavor. The creamy texture of the pudding quickly gives way to a less-sweet, more firmly cocoa flavor. The lack of sweetness might bother some, but because it is a more true chocolate flavor, the Chocolate Fudge pudding is more likely to satisfy those who would be disappointed by the milky quality of standard chocolate pudding.

The Chocolate Fudge pudding is not perfect in its flavor, either. The more of it I ate, the more I noticed the flavor was more creamy between the initial sensation of cold and sweet on the tongue and the more robust chocolate flavor that would later define the pudding. Even so, it is a flavor that is much more likely to please chocolate fans than a standard chocolate pudding.

Nutrition

Because it is dessert, Jell-O Chocolate Fudge instant pudding is not intended to be overly healthy. Still, because it is a dairy product and made with real milk, it is not the worst dessert in the world on the nutrition front. Obviously, though, it is a dairy product so those who are lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies might want to have something else for dessert.

One box makes up four half-cup servings. In a serving (when prepared with 2% milk), there are 160 calories, twenty-five of which come from fat. That represents 5% of the RDA of fat and 3% of one's daily cholesterol. There is not a significant amount of protein in this dessert, though it represents the intake of 18% of a person's daily recommended sodium. The milk in a serving provides 15% of the RDA of calcium. There are negligible amounts of Iron and Vitamin A as well. As I said, this could be a lot worse as far as a dessert goes.

Storage/Clean-up

In its powdered form, the Jell-O Chocolate Fudge instant pudding has a shelf life of several years. I was baffled at this being clearanced because, so long as the package is not opened, it would have lasted until May 2012. Once it is mixed with the milk, though, it ought to be eaten within forty-eight hours and be kept airtight to retain its flavor best.

Clean-up is easy as the ingredients wash off porcelain, metal and wood easily before the pudding sets. After one consumes the pudding, the leftovers can be washed off with hot water. Chocolate Fudge pudding will stain as it is a dark brown color. If you get it on clothing, consult your fabric guide for cleaning instructions, though I'd bet getting the stain into cold water wouldn't hurt most of the time!

Overall

Chocolate Fudge pudding is a nice alternative to the more usually bland chocolate pudding and offers fans of Jell-O instant pudding a delightful, if simple, dessert.

For other chocolate and chocolate flavored products, I have reviewed, please check out:
Lindt Pistachio Nut Bar
Jelly Belly Dark Chocolate Jelly Beans
Lindt Raspberry Lindor Truffles

6/10

For other food products, please check out my index page!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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