Looking for a warm and comforting dessert this fall, this Pumpkin Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding is the one! Rich bread pudding with a subtle pumpkin flavor and spices, then top with sweet butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Excited to say that Los Angeles is started to feel like fall! After a week of 100˚F + temperature, it has cooled down significantly in the last couple days. To celebrate, I turned on my oven and made this suitable fall dessert.
When it comes to bread pudding, I really like using croissants. I like the butteriness and crispy top. This time, I used pumpkin puree with cinnamon and nutmeg for some fall flavors. Also because I’m a chocolate lover, I threw in some chocolate chips too. Serve with a rich butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. Delicious!
To start, get the croissants at least one day ahead. Stale ones can absorb more custard. Cut them in half from the side into top layers and bottom layers. Cut the bottom parts into cubes and put them into a baking dish with some chocolate chips. Keep the top parts intact and set aside.
The custard is really simple. Whisk the eggs and pumpkin together first, then add the heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, spices and vanilla. That’s it. The custard is barely sweetened at this point. I didn’t want to add too much sugar, because the pudding will be served with ice cream and a sweet sauce. Pour half of the custard over the croissant cubes. Place the top layers of croissants on top. Press down gently. Pour the rest of the custard over. Top with more chocolate chips and some turbinado sugars. I like the addition of crunchy texture from the turbinado sugar.
For the sauce, it’s butterscotch. Butterscotch sauce is similar to a caramel sauce, but makes with brown sugar. It has a more rounded flavor and the taste of molasses. It’s extremely easy to make. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in heavy cream, dark brown sugar and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes in a gentle boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. It has a deep caramel flavor, and reminds me of toffee.
Serve the pudding warm with ice cream and the sauce. It’s comforting for a fall day. Rich and buttery pudding with a subtle nutty pumpkin flavor and mild spices, then there is the crispy croissant top and crunchy sugar. It pairs beautifully with the sweet butterscotch sauce and vanilla-y ice cream. Seriously, the flavors were spotted on. You got to try this!
Pumpkin Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- 6 ounces pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 croissants (stale/day-old)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ tablespoon turbinado sugar
- Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Butterscotch Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 pinches of kosher salt or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with ½ tablespoon unsalted butter.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and eggs until combined. Add heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract. Whisk to blend.
- Cut the croissants into half from the side into top layers and bottom layers, using a sharp serrated knife. Set aside the top of the croissants. For the bottom of the croissants, cut into ½-inch cubes.
- Place the cubes in the baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle ¼ cup chocolate chips all over. Pour half of the custard on top. Lay the top layer of croissants over the pudding. Press down gently. Pour the rest of the custard over. Press down again. Add the rest of the chocolate chips and sprinkle with turibinado sugar.
- Cover with a piece of aluminum foil loosely, and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 5 – 10 minutes, or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the sauce. In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add sugar, heavy cream and salt. Stir to blend. Bring to a gentle boil and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Taste (could be very hot) and adjust with more salt if needed. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
- To serve, scoop a good portion of pudding onto a serving plate. Top with ice cream and drizzle about a teaspoon of sauce over. Serve warm.
Notes
- Stale croissants can absorb more liquid. I just bought them 1 day ahead. No fancy croissants are needed for this. Just used ones from supermarkets, like Whole Foods and Costco.
- Spices are pretty mild in this recipe. You can add a bit more if you like spices.
- Leftover bread pudding can be stored in the same baking pan. Cover with foil and keep up to 3 days in the fridge. To serve, preheat a 350˚F oven. With the foil on, bake for 20 minutes, then uncover the foil and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve hot.
- Butterscotch sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The sauce will thicken and become like spoonable butter in the fridge. Reheat in microwave to serve.
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