Easy (I mean EASY) Bread Pudding

Alternate Title #1: Cooking with the Little Lady
Alternate Title #2: Teaching the Little Lady NOT to Lick the Spoon while Cooking

If you know me . . . and I mean really know me . . you know two things:

1. I used to be addicted to Dr. Pepper
2. I love, adore, cherish, incessantly CRAVE Bread Pudding

Seriously, folks, Bread Pudding rounds out my top three favorite desserts (I’ll talk about the other two another time); it’s decadent yet so simple.  I haven’t made it in ages thanks to my “healthy living” committment, but I used to make it periodically when guests came over.  I’d dust off my bright red Betty Crocker cookbook, turn to page and get busy.  By the time I’d pull it out of my oven and top the servings with my Whisky Caramel Sauce . . . my mouth was way past the watering stage!

The problem with making Bread Pudding is not eating my little serving after dinner . . . no, the problem arose the following day when I would eye the remaining luscious pudding in the pan. . . and I was NOT able to resist its pull.  Yep, I would eat and eat and eat the bread pudding over the next few days. It’s my kryptonite.

So, I’ve been in deprivation mode the past few months, not allowing myself to make it and indulge.

Till this weekend — when I devised a GENIUS recipe that isn’t as fatty as my “real” bread pudding recipe, makes only ONE serving, and is so easy my Little Lady was able to help me make it.

Readers, I present you with Easy Bread Pudding . . . courtesy of the humble Vanilla Snack Pack*.

With the help of my recipe, you can turn this

into this:

 

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Easy Bread Pudding {child-friendly version}

• 1 Vanilla Snack Pack Cup
• 1 Slice of Hearty/Crusty Bread (french bread, challah or another crusty bread would work well)
• Dollop of Vanilla Extract
• Dash of Cinnamon (no more than 1 tsp)
• Splash of Milk (to thin down the pudding a tad)

1. Open the pudding cup and empty the contents into a small mixing bowl.  Add your splash of milk, dollop of extract, and dash of cinnamon and blend well using a whisk.
2. Tear the sliced bread into bite size pieces and add them to the pudding mixture.  Stir everything together to help the bread absorb the pudding (it won’t absorb ALL of it . . . and that’s ok).
3. Lightly spray a muffin tin, ramekin, or another such small baking dish with cooking/baking spray and then spoon the bread pudding mixture into the dish.
4. Place the tin into a pre-heated 350 degree oven and let it back at least 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.  Do NOT over bake this to the point (1) it’s very brown or (2) the toothpick comes out squeaky clean. . . trust me.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing the individual serving(s) and plating them.  Garnish with whipped cream (or a little bit of heavy whipping cream) and caramel sauce.  Serve while still warm!

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NOW — here’s another version I created last night and it’s HEAVENLY . . . and definitely the better of the two versions.  The secret is to omit the cinnamon/vanilla extract and use Kahlua.  Oh, my stars and garters — it was delicious and the blend of Kahlua with the caramel garnish made it taste exactly like I’d spent hours creating a Whisky Caramel Sauce garnish.  Yum, yum, yum.

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Easy Bread Pudding {the adult-friendly version . . . or the “after-the-kids-go-to-bed version”}

• 1 Vanilla Snack Pack Cup
• 1 Slice of Hearty/Crusty Bread (french bread, challah or another crusty bread would work well)
• Splash of Milk
• 2-3 tsp of Kahlua

1. Open the pudding cup and empty the contents into a small mixing bowl.  Add your splash of milk and Kahlua, blending well with a whisk.
2. Tear the sliced bread into bite size pieces and add them to the pudding mixture.  Stir everything together to help the bread absorb the pudding (it won’t absorb ALL of it . . . and that’s ok).
3. Lightly spray a muffin tin, ramekin, or another such small baking dish with cooking/baking spray and then spoon the bread pudding mixture into the dish.
4. Place the tin into a pre-heated 350 degree oven and let it back at least 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.  Do NOT over bake this to the point (1) it’s very brown or (2) the toothpick comes out squeaky clean. . . trust me.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing the individual serving(s) and plating them.  Garnish with whipped cream (or a little bit of heavy whipping cream) and caramel sauce.  Serve while still warm!

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And, if you want to watch the recipe in action, watch the Little Lady and I whip this up!  (p.s. Ignore the empty paper-towel roll, the toys in the floor, and the fact that my daughter ends up with pudding on her nose)

*Disclosure: this post was originally published as part of a Back To School Meal program by HEB and ConAgra; I was compensated for my recipe creations and posts.