Expert: Robert Connolly - 9/30/2008

Question
QUESTION: Good Afternoon,
I have several boxes of the above but am too lazy to go thru the directions to make cooked pudding. Are there any receipes using this pudding just as it is? I have found similar receipes: 1 box of white cake mix, 1 can of peaches, & melted 1/4 cup butter or oleo. That's it & bake.
This is the typoe of receipe I am looking for.  Thanks.

ANSWER: adrian,i am not quite sure what you are asking me,i think you want to know if a recepie that calls for cooked pudding can be substituted with instant,i will only guess that it probably will not dramatically alter the results,but cooking pudding is really not a big deal and the quality is far better,i say take the extra step,in the scheme of things cooking a little pudding once in a while keeps a real old fashioned tradition alive,i should know i make it in my bakery daily and my customers can tell the difference between my baking and the stuff they are peddeling in supermarkets. go for it! bob connolly. www.millsbakery.com

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QUESTION: Thanks for the reply Bob. I sometimes do baking the old fashioned way when I get in the mood. Yes, the food usually does taste better, and there is some pride in making it from "scratch". However, I sometimes make a pastry in the morning to take into work and I need to make it fast. I basically wanted to know if there are receipes where I add the cooked pudding right out of the box and do not have to prepare it from the directions. You know like : FOR EXAMPLE...open up 1 box of cooked pudding,pour it into a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of milk, a box of white cake mix, some kind of fruit, etc., and pur it into a greased 9x11 pan and bake for 35 mins or until a toothpick inseryted 2 inches from the side of the pan comes out dry or nearly dry.......Appreciate hearing from you....

ANSWER: in this case i would just try it but allow for the extra liquid the instant pudding would otherwise require,see what happens,it can't hurt to try! good luck.bob

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QUESTION: Bob, I guess I must be speaking another language.
Do you know of or have any receipes where you add the box of cooked pudding (without preparing it, just adding the pudding as it is) with other ingredients to bake a cake, or muffins, bread, pie, etc? I hate to beat a dead horse to death but let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks

Answer
pease keep in mind the description of my experiance on my profile,i am a professional commercial baker,some of these home baked things which utalize unconventional methods of baking are not where my best advise lives,to someone who understands your type of baking i am sure your question makes verry good sence.we make everything from scratch and that is what i have always done in my career.sorry