Chocolate Bread Pudding

Here's another recipe I turn to when I want to use old bread. It's a Paula Deen recipe that transforms old, dry, crusty bread into a sweet, satisfying dessert. It's quick, easy and uses ingredients that are found in most pantries. When I prepared the recipe tonight, I cut the below recipe in half. I also didn't have any almond extract on hand, so I simply omitted it. If you don't have any cream on hand, simply substitute milk in its place.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1-pound loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread in the baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur
4. In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
5. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture.
   
6. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled.
7. Serve it warm or cold, with whipped cream or a dessert sauce.

Enjoy,
muddywaters