POTS DE CR萂E

POTS DE CR萂E
4 ounces sugar free semi-sweet chocolate chips *
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the cream and sweetener until slightly thickened and almost boiling. Stir frequently. Whisk until the mixture is blended and smooth. This will take 6-10 minutes. Beat the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add about a tablespoon of the hot chocolate mixture to the eggs and whisk in. Repeat until you've whisked in about 1/4 cup of the chocolate. Add the egg mixture to the pot with the remaining chocolate and whisk well. Pour into 4 ramekins and chill at least 4 hours until set. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 4 servings
Do not freeze

* I used MiniCarb chocolate chips.

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 403 Calories; 34g Fat; 8g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 8g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 397 Calories; 34g Fat; 8g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs

After all the discouraging results I've had with combining Splenda and chocolate in recipes, I'm pleased to say that this really does taste very good. It's a soft-set pudding with a flavor that reminds me of chocolate ice cream. I looked up Pots de Cr鑝e in my old Betty Crocker cookbook and her recipe is very similar to this one. The quantities are slightly different, but the main difference is that hers only calls for the egg yolks instead of whole eggs. I might try that next time because that will allow me to try Betty Crocker's variation that incorporates the stiffly beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture for more of a mousse.

My husband gave this a big thumbs up. He called it "gorgeous" and the best chocolate pudding he'd ever eaten. I have to agree that it is very good, but the MiniCarb chocolate chips caused me some digestion problems, to put it as delicately as possible.

If you'd like to try the Betty Crocker variation, make the above recipe, but use only the yolks and half the sweetener. Then, in a small bowl, beat the 2 egg whites until foamy. Beat in the remaining sweetener and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Fold into chocolate mixture until no streaks of white remain and chill as directed above. According to Betty Crocker, you'll get 6 servings instead of 4 with this version. Here are the carb counts for 6 servings:

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CR萂E MOUSSE

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 268 Calories; 23g Fat; 5g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 264 Calories; 23g Fat; 5g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

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