I love desserts but I can’t say I’m a pastry chef. I’ll show you all one day how my cookies turned out (EEEK), but that’s another story.

Today I played it safe by trying out Giada DeLaurentis’ Spiced Chocolate Budino. It’s simply jazzing up some instant chocolate pudding and fooling your guests into thinking you slaved over double-boilers!

What’s interesting about this recipe is the use of some red pepper flakes. I did not get a heat surge or any major screams for water but a spike of heat here & there…this was a hit and easy to prepare.

Whiz awayyyyyyyyyy!

Spiced Chocolate Budino

3 boxes store bought chocolate pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 small orange, zested
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Candied Orange Peel, for garnish

Make the pudding according to the package instructions. Add the cinnamon, orange zest, and red pepper flakes before chilling in individual cups/glasses. Before serving, sprinkle the top with chopped Candied Orange Peel.

Candied Orange Peel

1 large navel orange
3/4 cup sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, cut the orange part of the peel from the stem end of the orange down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch-wide strips. Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water 2 more times.

Stir the sugar and 1/2 cup of fresh water in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the orange peels and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to a sheet of parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour.

Yield: about 10 candied peels