Tasty Tuesdays - Warm Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

My favorite dessert has and will always be bread pudding. Mmm. I'm drooling just thinking about it. And, as much as I don't like chocolate, bread pudding is almost always better speckled with a few gooey morsels of semi-sweet goodness. I may make this concession because I have an unhealthy obsession with croissants (and any layered pastry for that matter) and will give whatever it takes to gain access to such. Imagine my elation when my mother suggested I take on a non-traditional dessert for Christmas Eve dinner this year! Anything I want? Really? CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING. [Gotta give credit to my aunt who served this at Thanksgiving dinner.] I must admit to munching on many croissant cubes while waiting for them to get hard enough to toss in the custardy batter i would prepare the next morning. Mmm.

credit: La Petite Gigi

I wish I had more time to take pics of my heavenly creation, which I paired with southern-style churned butter pecan ice cream, but I was too busy dodging my mom's crazy kitchen arms to photograph my mini masterpiece. Maybe you can make it and send me pictures of your recipes!

Warm Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Ingredients 
3 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound milk chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch pieces [I used one 12 oz. package of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips]
6 large eggs
6 day-old large croissants (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces when soft and fresh
Your choice of cream, for serving (optional) 

Instructions

> Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk with the vanilla bean and seeds and the salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and let the milk stand off the heat for 15 minutes. Discard the vanilla bean. Add half of the chopped milk chocolate to the warm milk and whisk until smooth. Let the milk and chocolate mixture cool for 15 minutes. Whisk in the eggs.

>In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss the croissant pieces with the remaining chopped milk chocolate. Pour the chocolate custard over the croissant pieces; press lightly to submerge them in the custard. Bake for 30 minutes, until the bread pudding is risen and set. Let the chocolate bread pudding cool slightly, then cut it into squares and serve warm, with ice cream.

Make Ahead: The bread pudding can be refrigerated overnight. Rewarm the pudding before serving. 

 

On the real tip: Don't make this too far in advance the day of, b/c it'll just get soggy. Sad.

{recipe: via}