An old-fashioned blueberry pudding recipe with a rosewater sauce straight from Almanzo's Ma's kitchen and the Little House Cookbook. Are you loving this series as much as I am?

old-fashioned blueberry pudding on plate with pitcher of rosewater syrup and fresh blueberries on table

When early pioneers found fresh fruit, they collected and used as much as they could. Waste not, want not was their mantra. In the Mid-West, blueberries came into season in late June through early September. One of the ways they enjoyed the fresh bounty of these sweet little globes was this blueberry pudding.

While most of us think of pudding as a thick, creamy dessert, this is more of a steamed cake texture. Ma would have made it in a tin cup from the pantry, or possibly a cake tin that was traded for at the trading post. Steamed puddings were a staple way of baking and cooking back in the day and how most traditional puddings were prepared.

What containers can I use to make this blueberry pudding recipe?

You are hard pressed these days to find a tin coffee can that you can use. The lining of many cans of canned vegetables can also be lined with chemicals that will make them unsafe to use. So what can you use? Here are some ideas:

coffee cups
bowls that will fit into a larger pot
canning jars (For this recipe, I used a wide mouthed pint jar and made 4 servings.)
ramekins (these are some of the most beautiful ramekins I've ever seen)

What about the rose syrup?

Rose syrup was once very common in the United States. It was the flavoring that most women used in their baking. It was something you could easily make

It was replaced with vanilla, and rose water is now a rare item. However, it adds so much flavor to this blueberry pudding, you will want to find (or make!) some. You can order Rose syrup by clicking here

Click here for our easy tutorial on how to make rose water syrup

Need a rosewater syrup substitute:

If you can't find rose syrup, or you don't want to wait to try this recipe, you can use lemon juice to replace the rose syrup.

Are you ready for blueberry pudding dessert straight from the pioneer days?

Old-fashioned Blueberry Pudding Recipe with Rosewater

Ingredients for pudding:

1 pint blueberries
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
sauce

Instructions for pudding:

Wash blueberries and remove any stems.
Grease mold or cake pan well with butter.
Using a small bowl, beat the egg. Stir in milk and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cream of tartar. Work butter in with fork or pastry cutter until it's resembles a course crumbly mixture.
Stir the liquid into the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries with just a few strokes.
Pour mixture into mold or can and cover tightly. Place in a larger pot and pour boiling water to fill 2/3 full.
Simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours on medium high heat. As long as there is water in the pot, there is very little danger of burning the pudding.
Remove pudding to a platter and serve with the sauce.

Ingredients for sauce:

1 cup sugar
2 cups water
3 Tablespoons butter
pinch of salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons rose syrup

Instructions for sauce:

Add sugar and water to small saucepan. Simmer until sugar is dissolved, and mixture begins to thicken into syrup.
Add butter, seasonings and rose syrup and stir to combine.
Pour over blueberry pudding and serve.