The sauce may be made up to a week in advance. Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
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Chocolate Turtle Bread Pudding
3 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or broken into pieces
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ounces challah or brioche, crusts removed and thinly sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
Pinch salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup pecans (preferably toasted), coarsely chopped
- Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.
- Heat milk and sugar together until sugar is dissolved and bubbles just begin to form around the edge of the pan.
- Melt the chocolate and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and vanilla together until just blended.
- Slowly blend the chocolate into the milk; add the eggs and whisk until smooth.
- Layer the bread in the baking dish and pour the chocolate sauce over. Let sit at least 15 minutes. Or, wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- If baking immediately, simply place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake until set but moist, about 35 minutes. (If baking later, bring to room temperature and pour an additional 1/2 cup of milk over the top and bake for 35 minutes.)
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: whisk the brown sugar and butter together in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the salt and cream and cook another 8-10 minutes, until the color has deepened and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the pecans and remove from heat.
- Cut the bread pudding into serving pieces; spoon the sauce over each serving.
Makes 18 servings
381 calories, 8 g protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 20 g fat, 9 g satfat, 179 mg sodium
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