10 proper puddings to perk up Blue Monday
I can see why Blue Monday has earned its rather gloomy name. Christmas is done and dusted, the days seem impossibly short and people have made the most miserable month even worse with a diet or without a drink. Yes, January can seem a little blue but I am never without faith that a good pud can turn it around.
So, for at least one day this month, wave goodbye to that dreary diet and say hello to the cosy, comforting and delicious food that you could (and should) be enjoying. Namely, proper puddings.
Here are my top 10 really, truly, properly indulgent delicious. puds that are sure to perk up the bluest of Mondays. Enjoy!
1. Beer-laced sticky toffee pudding
Yep, there’s booze AND sticky toffee goodness in this one. This is a pudding for a not-so-dry January.
2. Chocolate and caramel sponge pudding with chocolate custard
Sponge and custard is great. But chocolate sponge with chocolate custard, plus pieces of melty caramel, is a whole lot better.
3. Sharing pan brownie with white chocolate Lindors
Good news! You don’t have to decide between white or dark chocolate with this skillet-pan brownie recipe. You get double the chocolate trouble and so much more.
4. Apple and blackberry frangipane crumble
Well I couldn’t do a ‘proper puddings’ feature without including a good old fashioned crumble. This one’s ahead of its time with the addition of a hidden frangipane base. Dig deep to discover just how good it is.
5. Peanut butter cup chocolate fondants
Choosing just one of my favourite delicious. chocolate fondant recipes wasn’t easy, but it had to be this: an oozing peanut butter number made with Reece’s cups. And if you don’t like peanut butter (although if you don’t we can’t be friends) then swap the cups for After Eights, Lindor balls or any other chocolate you fancy.
6. Vanilla and nutmeg baked rice pudding
Probably one of the easiest recipes in this roundup but certainly no less comforting. A deliciously creamy rice pudding spiked with proper vanilla, nutmeg and served with a generous dollop of strawberry jam.
7. Croissant and marmalade bread and butter pudding
I know what you’re thinking. Croissants need MORE butter. Well you’re in luck! Because we’ve created a pudding that does just that.
8. Coconut and raspberry jam roly poly
A pudding that will bring a smile to your face. It’s brilliantly rich, gloriously sweet and calling out to be drowned in a puddle of custard.
9. Double baked chocolate meringue brownie
When does a brownie become a pudding? When it’s baked with a crown of chocolate meringue on top, that’s when.
10. Brie and bacon bread pudding
And because not all puddings have to be sweet, let me leave you with this indulgently cheesy number. Brie, bacon, butter… I know, you’re feeling better already.