debbie's death by chocolate bread pudding
We had friends that we traditionally celebrate Valentine's Day with. We got together this past weekend for dinner at one of Shreveport's incredible restaurants, but our friends wanted to come back to our house for dessert. This is what I came up with. I used dark chocolate, simply because it is my favorite. You could use semi-sweet or even milk chocolate if you prefer... but why? LOL!!!
Blue Ribbon Recipe
Holy decadence! This bread pudding is going to put you into a chocolate coma... and worth every bite. It's a rich and decadent bread pudding filled with chocolate and pecans. The bread pudding has a firm but creamy texture and the pecans add a nice crunch. Alone, it's delicious. But add the simple chocolate sauce and this is out of this world good. You don't have to dip the strawberries in chocolate, but it's a nice touch for presentation. This bread pudding recipe is easy enough to make any time you want an indulgent dessert, but special enough for a holiday or special occasion.
Ingredients
- DARK CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING
- 1 - loaf French or Italian bread
- 4 - eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 4 cups half and half or heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup slightly sweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- CHOCOLATE SAUCE
- 1 package slightly sweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips, 12 oz.
- 1 stick butter
- 1 - 1 1/4 cups half and half or heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- - strawberries, dipped in the chocolate for garnish
How To Make debbie's death by chocolate bread pudding
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Step 1Tear your loaf of bread into small chunks. When I make bread pudding, I prefer to allow my bread to sit for several hours or overnight to "stale." I tear the bread in pieces into a large bowl and cover it with a dishtowel until I am ready to mix it all together. -
Step 2Preheat oven to 350 F.
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Step 3In a medium-size bowl, mix slightly beaten eggs, sugar, half and half (or cream), and vanilla. Beat on medium until well blended.
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Step 4Melt the butter in the microwave and slowly blend into the sugar mixture.
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Step 5Pour this mixture over the bread pieces. Stir gently to coat all the bread pieces evenly.
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Step 6Gently fold the chocolate chips and the pecans evenly into the bread mixture.
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Step 7Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.
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Step 8Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
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Step 9Bake 45-50 minutes or until lightly brown but not overdone.
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Step 10Allow to cool a bit while you prepare the chocolate sauce. Do not prepare the chocolate sauce until the bread pudding is ready to come out. it will get too hard.
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Step 11For the chocolate sauce, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and the butter.
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Step 12Check and stir every 30 seconds or so. Add vanilla extract.
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Step 13Once melted and stirred smooth, add your half and half (or cream) about 1/4 cup at a time stirring well.
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Step 14Microwave another 30 seconds each time until you get it to the consistency that you want it to be to allow you to drizzle it. You may need up to 1 cup of half and half (or cream).
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Step 15At this point, for each person I was serving, I dipped a strawberry in the chocolate mixture and set them on waxed paper to dry.
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Step 16I dished everyone's bread pudding up, added the chocolate sauce and then garnished with a chocolate covered strawberry. THIS WAS A HIT!!!
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
