When I think of "pudding" I think of those little containers of Swiss Miss filled with creamy, chocolatey goodness. Or butterscotch goodness. Or vanilla goodness. But most Amish "pudding" recipes that I run into aren't like that at all, they are more "cakey." Not sure why the pudding label gets attached to it at all.
❓ Do the Amish Use Raisins?
Raisins are commonly found in Amish kitchens and that is because, historically, the Amish have shopped at local bulk food stores (not as much today, you're just as likely to see an Amish person in Walmart as a local store) and raisins are a staple in those stores because they transport easily and are shelf-stable, so an Amish person can buy a bunch, take them home, and store them for quite some time.
es, the Amish do eat and cook with raisins quite a bit! Raisins are a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Here are some of the reasons why raisins are popular among the Amish.
Because of their sweetness, raisins are popular in desserts and breads among the Amish. And they are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Raisins are often found in sweet and savory dishes, added to breakfast cereals, oatmeal, yogurt, and cookies.
🖨️ Step-By-Step Raisin Pudding
I first made this recipe when my girls were very young. This photo was taken back in the winter of 2017. Look at how young and cute they were!
This really is an incredible, and intriguing, recipe. And back when my girls were super young I was always looking for things to bake with them. And I'm also always looking at old Amish recipes and looking at their cultural connections.
Raisin pudding is one of these "Great Depression" recipes. This is a dish that some Amish old-timers still make. This recipe comes from an old Amish collection of recipes from Buchanan County, Iowa. This recipe came from a really interesting old cookbook that captures this Amish Iowa community. There are two raisin pudding recipes in the book, both very similar. One recipe mentions it as a "supper dish" but I'm having trouble envisioning it as that. Still, if you expand your definition of supper to just something filling and cheap then I could see it.
The first thing you do is prepare the dough as below.
I wish I liked raisins more, but for you raisin lovers, it doesn't get better - or easier - than this. Just mix the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. If you love raisins, add some more. But stir until you get a moist dough.
Press the dough into a pan.
And then make the butterscotch sauce as directed and, as Aster is doing above, pour the sauce over the dough and then you're going to pop it in the oven. And bake it for about 45 minutes until you get a really interesting, raisin cake type concoction.
The recipe instructions for Amish Raisin Pudding were sparse with no "doneness cues." Also, the recipe, as printed, was just too small of a proportion for the 8 X 13 pan size. There is NO way it work have worked. So I doubled the recipe and then it did work.
What you get is a raisin-filled cake that floats on top of a layer of butterscotch sauce. Add some whipped topping to your helping and, I will say, this is a winner of a dessert in my book and it is incredibly easy and quick to make. And that is a good thing because I had Aster and Bea all pitching in. I read each ingredient to Aster who dutifully headed to the pantry or fridge to get it. And Bea cheered her approval with the arrival of each item. So the recipe below is the doubled recipe.
🍇 More Amish Raisin Recipes
🖨️ Full Recipe
Amish Butterscotch Raisin Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup raisins
- 3 cups flour
- 2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 4 cups ice cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Mix all ingredients together and press into a greased 8 X 13 in pan.
- Mix together brown sugar and water and pour on top.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves with cold whipped topping.
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