Croissants lend themselves to the perfect base layer in this apple bread pudding. Add in a sweet custard with some apples and raisins and top with a bourbon sauce and you have a crowd pleasing dessert (you’ll need a crowd… it’s makes a lot and is a bit on the rich side!) Don’t worry about leftovers, though. There’s nothing quite like frying a piece up in the morning for an over-the-top French Toast experience!

A bit of a process, but so worth it!

It takes time for the croissants to soak up the milk. This process is so necessary, though. The soggy bread packs together for the heavy, solid feel while your brain is telling you it’s a light, sweet croissant. We like to stir them together the night before we are baking our dessert just to make sure to take full advantage of the process!

You can make the bourbon sauce ahead of time as well, but I usually wait. Because the egg isn’t fully cooked in the sauce, I only keep it for a couple days after it’s made. This doesn’t give enough time to enjoy leftovers if you lose the first day because you made it ahead of time! It really doesn’t take that long to throw together, so I can find time, even with a big holiday dinner, when I’m first going to serve the pudding.

If you put this in the oven about the same time you’re sitting down to eat, it gives you an hour for dinner before it comes out and is toasty hot just in time for dessert!

Here is the process for Apple Bread Pudding

The night before you want to serve this dessert, peel, core and cut a Granny Smith Apple into pea sized chunks. Toss the chunks with 2 Tbsp. sugar.

Tear 9 croissants into bite-sized chunks. Combine these with the apples, 1.2 cup of golden raisins and 5 cups of milk. Stir to mix everything together, then cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours.

Make a custard by whisking 3 eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg until well mixed. Pour the custard into the croissants and stir until thoroughly mixed. Butter a 9X13 casserole dish then pour the croissant mixture into the casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until puffy and slightly browned.

While pudding is baking, prepare the bourbon sauce. Whisk an egg in a small bowl, slowly adding 6 Tbsp. of melted butter. Whisk fast enough that butter doesn’t cook the egg to a scrambled egg consistency, instead leaving a smooth liquid texture. Stir in 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. bourbon. The sauce will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

When pudding is baked, let cool for about 5 minutes. Slice and plate then drizzle bourbon sauce over the top of each slice.

Here’s our video for how we make our Apple Bread Pudding.

Apple Bread Pudding

Recipe by HeCooks4Me.comCourse: Desserts, RecipesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

462

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Croissants lend themselves to the perfect base layer in this bread pudding. Add in a sweet custard with some apples and raisins and top with a bourbon sauce and you have a crowd pleasing dessert (you’ll need a crowd… it’s makes a lot and is a bit on the rich side!) Don’t worry about leftovers, though. There’s nothing quite like frying a piece up in the morning for an over-the-top French Toast experience!

Ingredients

• Bread Pudding

• 9 Croissants

• 1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored and cut in large pea-size chunks

• 2 Tbsp Sugar

• 5 cups Milk

• 1/2 cup Golden Raisins

• 3 Large Eggs

• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

• 1 cup Sugar

• 1/2 tsp Grated Nutmeg

• Bourbon Sauce

• 6 Tbsp Butter

• 1 cup Powdered Sugar

• 1 Egg

• 2 Tbsp Bourbon

Directions

• The night before serving, combine apple pieces with 2 Tbsp. sugar. Tear croissants into bite-sized chunks and place in a large bowl. Combine croissants and apple chunks with milk and raisins. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 12 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350F. Make a custard by combining eggs, vanilla, sugar and nutmeg and whisking to combine. Pour custard into the croissant mixture and mix well. Butter a 9 X 13 casserole dish, then pour croissant mixture into the dish. Bake for one hour or until puffy and brown.
• While pudding is baking, prepare bourbon sauce. Melt 6 Tbsp. butter. Whisk egg in a small bowl, slowly adding the melted butter. Stir in powdered sugar and bourbon and mix well. The sauce can be made up to a day ahead of time and can keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
• Let pudding rest for 5 minutes after removing from the oven. Slice and plate, then drizzle bourbon sauce over the slices.

Recipe Video