This week I was flattened by the flu.  I spent most of the week in bed under the covers (the “warming chamber,” as I like to call it), riding out fevers.  It was a lot of fun.  I couldn’t do much cooking from the warming chamber, but nevertheless, I have this easy Longhorn Butterscotch Pudding to share.

For this Longhorn treat, start with a box of Jell-O Instant Butterscotch Pudding.

Yep, instant pudding.  Sure, you could make your own, if you really wanted to.  But sometimes you need your butterscotch pudding RIGHT NOW, and for those times, Jell-O Instant Pudding fits the bill.

Prepare the pudding according to the package directions, which is basically just whisking in two cups of cold milk.  Now for the Longhorn Magic — add exactly 8 drops of liquid red food coloring and 11 drops of liquid yellow food coloring, and VOILA! — burnt orange butterscotch pudding.

Any dish is really only as good as the sum of its parts, so to apologize for using instant pudding, I made real whipped cream.  This stuff, unlike the Longhorns, cannot be beat. Using an electric beater, whip 1 cup of cold whipping cream with 1 heaping tablespoon of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.   (Be careful not to overbeat, in order to avoid making butter.)

Top the pudding with generous dollops of whipped cream, sprinkle with Heath Brickle Bits, and serve.  Stand back and hear your family exclaim, “Cool, UT pudding!”

Hook ’em!