everyday chocolate pudding

I've found the chocolate pudding I've been looking for all my life: no cream, no egg yolks leaving me with a bowl of whites in the fridge that eventually gets thrown away because I have a visceral dread of whipping egg whites, and no special mixture of unsweetened and bittersweet chocolates. All of which were true of the chocolate cream pie I made at Thankgsiving, which was probably worth it. But this tastes darn near the same to me, and it takes about 10 minutes plus chilling time.

Recalling the cute little "cup of dirt" concept I served this with chocolate wafers crumbled on top---no thanks on the gummy worms. I can't resist putting whipped cream on just about anything sweet, though I couldn't figure out what a puff of white would signify in a cup of dirt. Let's say snow.

Everyday Chocolate Pudding
Serves 6-ish
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup milk (can be low-fat)
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together the cornstarch, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the half-and-half and milk, then bring to a boil over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk til melted and the mixture thickens noticeably. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours. Keeps up to 3 days.