I love variations on bread puddings because they’re totally delicious, have simple ingredients, are easy to make, and can serve as a dessert or as a brunch dish! This is my favorite of any bread pudding because, well, it’s buttery, flaky croissants doused in custard and sprinkled with dark chocolate. I rest my case.
Ingredients:
– 6 medium croissants, sliced about 3/4 inch thick
– 2 oz bitter or semi sweet chocolate morsels or chopped
– 6 eggs, beaten
– 1 1/2 c milk
– 1 1/2 c half & half
– 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
– 2/3 c sugar
– Pinch of salt
How I make it:
– Preheat oven to 350 degrees
– In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half & half, vanilla, sugar, and salt until very well combined and set aside.
– Arranged sliced croissant pieces in a greased baking pan so that they cover the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with some of the chocolate chips. Continue arranging layers of sliced croissant interspersed with the chocolate chips until you have fit all of the bread and chocolate securely in the greased pan.
– Give the custard mixture one last whisk to make sure that the sugar has dissolved and mixture is well combined, then slowly pour the mixture evenly over the sliced croissants.
– Gently press the croissant into the custard mixture over the course of 3-5 minutes to encourage it to fully absorb it, with out becoming mushy.
– Bake 55-65 minutes until top is golden brown and delicious.
– Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Tips:
– If you dot the tops of the pieces of croissant with small bits of butter before baking, it will enhance the flakiness of the top of the casserole.
– If you like a dessert on the sweeter side, you can add as much as a cup of sugar in total and/or more chocolate chips as you like.
– Substitute your favorite booze or liqueur for the vanilla extract. I’ve tried cognac, rum, and caramel vodka; all with very happy results.
– Croissants freeze well for this recipe, so every so often (when I have a coupon) I buy a box from the wholesale club bakery and freeze whatever I’m not using in a dated freezer bag.
– Chop up the chocolate if you desire to more evenly distribute it amongst the croissant.
– Use brown sugar or your sweetener of choice instead of regular granulated sugar.
The most common feedback I get about this dish (other than how delicious it is) is how happy so many are that it’s not overly sweet, but still completely decadent!
Happy Eating!
