White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Some days just call for a deliciously decadent dessert. This white chocolate bread pudding recipe has white chocolate in the pudding and the caramelly white chocolate sauce that goes atop it just before serving time. Be prepared to share the recipe with all of your guests. It’s that good.

Ingredients for White Chocolate Bread Pudding

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• Eggs: The eggs help bind everything together and contribute to the pudding’s custard-like texture.
• Heavy whipping cream: The word “cream” is key in this ingredient; it makes the pudding deliciously creamy.
• Light brown sugar: Light brown sugar adds slight notes of molasses or caramel to the bread pudding. Yum.
• 2% milk: Though other types of milk may be used in this recipe, 2% milk has fewer calories than whole milk.
• Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a warm, spicy note to the white chocolate bread pudding.
• Vanilla extract: A hint of vanilla complements the white chocolate in this wonderful dessert.
• White baking chocolate: White baking chocolate brings a surprising flavor to bread pudding, making this indulgent dessert quite special.
• Macadamia nuts: Macadamia nuts offer an interesting alternative to the typical nut varieties used in desserts. If you don’t enjoy macadamia nuts, no worries; just omit them.
• Croissants or French bread: Both croissants and French bread work well for this bread pudding, as they both have fantastic textures.

Sauce ingredients:

• Heavy whipping cream: This whipping cream helps turn the white chocolate into a sumptuous sauce.
• White baking chocolate: The cocoa butter in the white baking chocolate makes the sauce creamy and even more decadent.
• Hot caramel ice cream topping: The caramel ice cream topping serves as the simple-to-use base for the white chocolate bread pudding sauce.

Directions 

Step 1: Prepare the bread pudding ingredients

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 3 cups of the cream, the brown sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla until they’re well blended. Stir in the white chocolate chunks and the macadamia nuts, then gently stir in the croissant or French bread pieces. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes or until the bread has softened.

Editor’s tip: Stale or day-old bread is the key to success for white chocolate bread pudding (or any bread pudding recipe), as stale bread absorbs the liquids much better than fresh bread. If the bread doesn’t absorb the liquid, the resulting bread pudding will be mushy and not nearly as enjoyable.

Step 2: Bake the bread pudding

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Transfer the mixture to a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake the bread pudding mixture, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes or until it’s golden and puffy, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Step 3: Make the sauce

As the white chocolate bread pudding cools, add the cream and white chocolate to a saucepan, along with the caramel topping; bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 to 3 minutes or until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally. Serve the white chocolate sauce warm, drizzled over the warm bread pudding.

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White Chocolate Bread Pudding Variations

• Mix two chocolates: Replace half of the white chocolate with dark baking chocolate for a delicious play on the original recipe.
• Add raisins or dried cranberries: Raisins add textural variation and a juicy burst of sweetness to each mouthful of this bread pudding with white chocolate sauce. Cranberries add a hint of tangy fruit to each bite.
• Add chopped walnuts: Mix some chopped walnuts into the bread pudding batter for a delicious crunch that adds flavor without adding more sugar.
• Change the topping: Try a different ice cream topping as the base for your bread pudding sauce to change things up a bit. Hot fudge, marshmallow or even a fruit flavor such as cherry would taste delicious paired with the white chocolate.

How to Store White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Store the cooled white chocolate bread pudding in the refrigerator for up to five days. Place it in an airtight food-storage container, or tightly cover the top of the baking dish with plastic wrap before placing the dish in the fridge.

Can you freeze white chocolate bread pudding?

Yes, this bread pudding keeps in the freezer for up to three months. Store individual portions in zippered freezer bags with all of the air pressed out; if you have a vacuum sealer, that’s an even better way to ensure your dessert stays free of freezer burn.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding Tips

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Can I make this with a different kind of bread?

Yes, feel free to use other bread such as brioche, challah or even leftover Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls; any of these work well in bread pudding recipes. Day-old, slightly stale bread is best, no matter which type of bread you use.

What is white chocolate, anyway?

White chocolate’s main ingredient is cocoa butter, which gives it that creamy mouthfeel and off-white hue, but it does not contain cocoa or chocolate liquor, which are found in other chocolates. Aside from the cocoa butter, white chocolate is made with milk solids, sugar and vanilla flavoring.

Can I make this without the sauce?

Yes, this white chocolate bread pudding is delicious even without the sauce; omitting the sauce lowers the calorie and sugar content. Try sliced almonds or strawberries as healthier bread-pudding toppers.