Hot Chocolate Pudding Shots

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If you're in the mood for a chocolatey, boozy treat, then these Hot Chocolate Pudding Shots with Baileys are perfect for you! They're easy to make with instant pudding mix and hot cocoa mix. Plus, they're the perfect size for enjoying as many or as few shots as you like.

Try my Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Copycat drink next!

A small chocolate pudding shot topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinles.

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Who says you have to wait for cold weather to enjoy cocoa? These delicious, hot chocolate pudding shots are perfect for any season!

All you need is a few simple ingredients plus some marshmallows, chocolate chips, and whipped cream to top them off. Not only will they satisfy your sweet tooth, but they're also easy to make and taste great. Try this recipe today and find out just how much you love them!

Love chocolate? Try my No Bake Chocolate Pie for another delicious, cool and creamy treat! You will also love this Homemade Microwave Chocolate Lave Mug Cake from scratch.

Highlights

Super easy - all you need is a few simple ingredients and just mix them together!
Delicious - these hot chocolate pudding shots are decadent, boozy, creamy & sweet.
Great for parties - perfect for parties and holiday get-togethers with your adult friends and family.
Perfectly portioned - these chocolate treats are a perfect size. You can enjoy as many or as few shots as you like.

Ingredients

One package instant chocolate pudding mix - any brand will work, but I typically like to use the Jell-O brand or Ghirardelli for this recipe.

Instant hot chocolate mix - Swiss Miss is my favorite (with mini marshmallows), but you can use any brand of dry, hot cocoa mix that you prefer.

Baileys Irish Cream - this adds a little "kick" to these pudding shots without making them too strong. You can substitute other cream liqueurs like Kahlua or Rumchata if you prefer, or try a mixture of the two. You could even try a little bit of vodka.

Whipped cream - this is a must-have for decorating. I also use it to make the pudding creamy. I use Cool Whip when I need to make them several days ahead because stabilized. But you can use you a homemade whipped cream or my Homemade Caramel Whipped Cream.

Marshmallows - these are standard in hot cocoa, so of course, they're perfect with these pudding shots!

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Always start with clean hands, work area, and kitchen utensils.

Step One: In a large bowl, mix chocolate pudding mix, hot cocoa mix, and milk with a whisk until well blended and smooth. Add Baileys and vanilla extract and whisk again until well combined.

using a whisk to mix a chocolate pudding — Mix the pudding and milk

adding Baileys to the pudding mixture — Mix the pudding and milk

Step Two: With a spoon, whisk, or spatula, fold in one cup of Cool Whip until fully incorporated.

adding cool whip to pudding mixture — Add Cool Whip

mixing together cool whip and pudding — Add Cool Whip

Step 3: Spoon into small cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with whipped cream and other toppings as desired.

shot glasses filled with pudding — Fill cups with pudding mixture

topping pudding shots with Cool Whip — Fill cups with pudding mixture

Top Tips

The pudding should be soft, like a mousse, and not completely set.
Use a piping bag to get the pudding into the cups, or just use a spoon!
Don't add the Cool Whip to the pudding mixture if you want a thicker pudding texture.
Recipe should yield 12 shots depending on the cups you use. I use 2 ounce plastic shot glasses and filled them ⅔ full.
Add a couple of drops of green food coloring to the whipped cream (topping) for a St. Patrick's Day treat.
You can also add some drops of red food coloring to the whipped cream topping to celebrate Valentine's Day. Experiment with different colors and have some fun!

Serving suggestions

Just like regular hot cocoa, you can top these pudding shots with regular or mini marshmallow bits, or whipped cream. You can also use mint chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, nuts, or sprinkles for added flavors and texture.

Use a small strainer to dust with cocoa powder.

Drizzle with peanut butter (thinning with milk or cream if necessary)

Since these hot chocolate shots contain Bailey's Irish Cream, they are popular for St. Patrick's Day. Add a few drops of green food coloring to the whipped cream and top with gold sprinkles for a festive touch.

Need some St. Patrick's Day recipe ideas? Try my Guinness Beef Stew, Irish Soda Bread and my Guinness Chocolate Cake!

To transport:

Keeping your shots in little plastic shot containers with lids is ideal because you can stack them in your fridge or freezer. You can also try putting the entire mixture into a Ziploc bag. Then, when it's time to serve them, you can cut a corner of the bag and "pipe" them into shot glasses or cups.

Non-alcoholic Baileys substitute

If you want to make hot chocolate pudding shots without alcohol, but still want a boozy inspired taste, I suggest trying rum or amaretto extract or oil. Just be sure to replace the Baileys with milk for the same consistenecy.

Bickford has a ton of flavored extracts you might not be able to find at your local grocery store.

Storage

You can store any leftover pudding shots in your fridge for up to seven days. It would be best to store them in little dip containers with lids or any other airtight container that you may have.

Common questions

Do you freeze or refrigerate pudding shots?

You can refrigerate your pudding shots for up to seven days. However, since alcohol does not freeze, you could freeze your shots as well if you prefer them to be even colder!

How do you eat pudding shots?

These hot cocoa pudding shots are best served with spoons. With typical Jello shots, you can easily pop them into your mouth, but pudding shots are soft set, so they don't work great that way.

Why are my pudding shots runny?

Be sure to measure your liquid ingredients carefully. Too much alcohol or milk will keep it from setting up properly.

Does Bailey's go bad?

Baileys is good for at least two years, even when opened. To ensure it lasts as long as possible, you should store it in an area with a temperature range of 0-77 degrees F.

What is Rumchata?

RumChata is a bottled cream liqueur that contains distilled Caribbean rum, dairy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and other flavors.