Our family members are known for going down a rabbit hole or two.

Nowhere have we seen that more than during Badger Communication Time.

Badger Communication Time – BCT, colloquially – was a short discussion Zack and I started with the girls when we first got married. Each bedtime, one of us would ask a question that we all answered before we kissed the girls goodnight and tucked them in.

Five-year-old Zayley’s first question quickly became legendary: “If you could go anywhere in the world… [long pause]… what would you wear and how would you get there?”

And, of course, Zack’s prompt answer also became legend: “Naked. And on foot.”

BCT went the way of the dinosaur a few years ago, but we still invent questions like that every once in a while. It’s a good way to remember who your people are.

I like to ask questions about favorites. It’s a strategy a friend taught me in high school to avoid awkward silences on first dates – not that I had many. It’s also a great way to figure out what someone might like for a treat or a gift.

So, of course, I often ask about favorite desserts or favorite things to do on a Saturday. My answer for favorite dessert has been the same for many years: a brownie sundae. Warm chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream – the works.

The problem? Fewer restaurants offer this classic these days. Those that do often feature stale, hard brownies and thin chocolate syrup rather than true hot fudge. I’ve made them myself at home, but remembering to buy both whipped cream and ice cream and simultaneously make brownies and hot fudge in the same night feels like a lot for just dessert. If I’m going to do all that work, it should feed the whole family. Maybe for a week.

Enter brownie pudding.

This heaven-sent dessert solves all these dessert-centered dilemmas. It’s a recipe from Ina Garten that has gone viral recently. Somewhere in my memory, I recall making a similar dessert years ago from the Sweet Potato Queen, Jill Connor Browne, who called it Chocolate Stuff.

Whatever you call it, this recipe is perfect for those who love undercooked brownies or the middle of a chocolate lava cake. It’s brownie and hot fudge all in one, and I am here for it.

The other good news? It’s more forgiving than the directions suggest.

When I tried it, I forgot to melt the butter. I mixed the ingredients in the wrong order. I was out of white sugar, so I used the remnants of three nearly empty bags of brown sugar. I was low on cocoa, so I used half a cup of regular cocoa and a quarter cup of red cocoa purchased long ago. I didn’t have the fancy fruity liqueur called for, so I substituted espresso powder – the one substitution that made sense.

When I poured the batter into the pan, it was lumpy, bumpy, and dumpy. Ugly.

Shockingly, the texture came out just as the recipe promised: crackly on top and soft and fudgy underneath. Granted, it leaked a bit of butter when I scooped a serving, so I consider this a lower-fat option.

I’m sharing the recipe mostly as it’s supposed to be made.

BROWNIE PUDDING

(adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, preferably at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp espresso powder (optional)

Instructions:
■ Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish (about 8×10 inches). Make sure you have a larger baking dish to fit the casserole. Melt butter and set aside to cool.
■ In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs until light yellow and thick, about 5–10 minutes. (I did these steps wrong and it still worked.)
■ In a smaller bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, and espresso powder. Mix vanilla into sugar-egg mixture, then add flour-cocoa mixture. Mix by hand until combined. Add melted butter and mix by hand again.
■ Pour batter into prepared casserole dish. Place the larger baking dish in the oven. Set casserole into the larger dish and pour hot tap water between the two pans, about halfway up the sides of the smaller dish.
■ Bake for 1 hour. Carefully remove the casserole, pour out the water. It will appear underbaked – don’t worry, it’s perfect. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.