Bourbon Bread Pudding with Candied Nuts
Alternate title: Holy-Shit-That’s-Good Bread Pudding. Bread pudding is one of those desserts that feels like it takes so much effort, but it really doesn’t. In fact, you likely have all the ingredients you need already and could most likely make it without a recipe. It’s so simple. So straightforward. And 100% customizable.
Now, bread pudding is really just bread, eggs, milk, sugar. I like a bunch of mix-ins in my bread pudding for extra texture and flavor. Plus bourbon, because we’re a House of Bourbon family. And either whipped cream or melted ice cream on top. But it truly is a simple recipe. And if you’re on a budget, it’s also a great dessert!
You can use just about any bread for your bread pudding, but I went with Trader Joe’s Croissant Bread. Their CB is a revelation. So much flavor, so much flake, so much good. You could cut up croissants, you could use brioche. I would even use a white bread loaf that’s yet to be sliced and staled just a bit. Any bread will do!
I can’t remember the first time I had bread pudding out. Honestly, it was something I usually wouldn’t even think about. I mean, really, who wants bread for dessert? The answer: me. And you’re gonna want it, too!
I can’t wait to try this with some fruit, or some orange or lemon zest. Oooo, maybe a little lemon curd? CHOCOLATE CHUNKS?!
Now, for this particular dish I used bourbon candied nuts that I had made earlier in the day. They definitely imparted a whole lot of flavor to this bread pudding. I do think the spices (I used a chai spice mix that I made) could have been added to the egg mixture and you would get a similar result. The candied bits of the nuts basically bake right off into the mixture.
Up to you if you want to use a candied nut! The recipe below for the candied nuts will yield more than you need for this bread pudding, so you can save some for another use – like on top of ice cream, for a midnight snack you hide from your husband, or even for another bread pudding.
Just note: this recipe time does not account for making the candied nuts – make them ahead or skip the candied nuts all together if you’re short on time. Also, it calls for staled bread, but I honestly made mine with fresh bread and it was perfect! Up to you if you want to stale it – it will help absorb more of the liquid and get really gooey!
