Jello Temptations Boston Creme Dessert Kits

I love pudding, but I'm not too keen on pudding cups. I don't know. Between the creepy flavors and the overall irritation of spilling pudding down my shirt, it just doesn't do it for me like pudding mix does. Of course, there are more pitfalls of pudding mix than pudding cups, like lumpiness, the fact that sometimes your pudding looks like swirls of dog crap, and the inevitable horror of discovering that you have turned into your own grandmother, but I'll take it any day.Lately, Jell-O has made valiant attempts to make pudding really, really sexy for all the stay at home moms whose hot Bolivian gardeners have Tuesdays off and have created the Temptation line for that very reason. You may recognize that line from the time Swagger and I almost nearly caused a bomb scare on my campus with an expired box of pudding cups. Ah, fantastic times.This time around, I chose a safer route for exploration, in the form of Temptations Dessert Kits. Of the two flavors on the shelf, I chose Boston Creme Pie, because after all, I do have to stay true to my collegiate roots. The mix was simple to prepare, just like instant pudding but with a topping. Somehow, I wasn't convinced that simply combining the powers of chocolate and vanilla could take the form of Boston Creme Pie, unlike the Wonder Twins, so I followed the suggestion on the box and crumbled up some graham cracker crust pieces on top. I also made a miniature pie out of the leftover pudding, because it just had to happen.

The pudding sets for a half hour after you dribble the included package of chocolate stuff on. Spoiler alert, it's basically Magic Shell in a foil bag, the condiment that has the consistency of a melted Barbie arm. Mmmm. But it solidifies well. We didn't have little cups and I didn't feel like making 50 shot glasses' worth of pudding, so I just poured it into two large goblets. It made me feel like a king.Overall, the flavor isn't really like that of pastry cream, unless you're talking about the stuff that grocery stores put in their cakes. It lacks the egg yolk and vanilla bean flavors that are so essential to the stuff, but it's a tasty pudding. I'd suggest using smaller cups to get a better chocolate to pudding ratio as well as using the graham cracker crumbles on top. They really are essential to adding extra texture and flavor to the pudding. As a snack, though, I'd try it again. It was tasty and felt more satisfying to make and eat than eating a pudding cup.