Humpastry Day - Chocolate Chia Pudding Dirt Cups

Chocolate Chia Pudding Dirt Cups

In honor of Earth Day, which is Thursday, I wanted to make a fun treat for Humpastry Day.  I was originally going to make animal and plant cookies and have my boys decorate them with frosting, but then I remembered dirt cups.  I knew my 2 1/2 and 4 1/2yr. olds would absolutely love these!  Now, these aren't the healthiest things because there's not much you can do in replacing gummy worms and Oreo cookies.  But, I did find a way to make the pudding a little healthier.  :)

I have been reading some great things about Chia seeds, and found some recipes online from http://www.chiativity.org.  I was intrigued by the Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe, and thought it would be a good way to make the dirt cups a little healthier.  But, I wasn't sure how it would taste because I had never used chia seeds before.  However, after reading this post from Anne Marie at Goals for the week, I finally decided to make a trip to Whole Foods and give the little seeds a try.      

As a quick side story, I went up to the customer service desk at WF to see if they carried chia seeds, and the lady said, "Like the chia pets?"  It was pretty funny.  I had to explain to her that they are similar, but they're actually seeds that you can eat.  She had never heard of them before, but after a quick computer search see directed me to the bulk isle.  Hooray!  

Chia Pudding Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings

*  4Tbl. chia seeds
*  1C soymilk (you can also use regular, almond, hemp, etc..)
*  4Tbl. agave nectar (you can add more depending on how sweet you want it)
*  2Tbl. cocoa powder
*  1tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1.  Put all ingredients in a container that has a lid.  Stir them well and leave the container, uncovered, on the counter for 20 minutes.
2.  After 20 minutes, stir the mixture again, put the lid on, and put in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  *Note:  the longer the mixture stays in the fridge, the thicker it gets.

 This is what the pudding looks like after 20 minutes.

This is what the pudding looks like after about 5 hours.  You can see how much thicker it is after sitting in the fridge.  You don't have to let it sit in the fridge for this long, but I made the pudding during lunch and we had it for dessert after dinner, so it had a long time to sit.

I have to say that it was pretty strange seeing this change into a gelatinous mixture.  I was really hesitant to taste it, but once I did I was pleasantly surprised!  The texture is very similar to tapioca pudding and it was actually really good.  I think you need to taste it after it sits for awhile and add more cocoa and agave depending on your tastes.  It wasn't as sweet as regular pudding, but I figured once I added the Oreo cookies, it would be plenty sweet, and I was right.  

How to assemble the dirt cups:
1.  Put some pudding in a small cup (I used ramekins).  This is the "mud."
2.  Put some Oreo cookies in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.  Once they are crushed, put them on top of the pudding.  This is the "dirt."
3.  Add some gummy worms for a fun effect.
4.  Enjoy!