GUYS. Hi. I don’t want to come off too strong right now, BUT ima say it- IF YOU MAKE ONE THING ON THIS WEBSITE EVER, LET IT BE THIS. Too much with the caps?! Too much, right? I’m sorry. But also I’m not sorry because you will thank me AND my all caps for pressuring you into making this. I promise. Even if you are not a normal bread pudding lover (which I am not), the addition of chocolate is a gamechanger. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the cinnamon rum sauce and I wouldn’t be surprised if you became the one virtually yelling at people to make it. I’ve been making it since my sorority sisters came over for my home-cooked feasts during our college days (10+ years.. wowza) and I haven’t met a person who has tried it and not wanted more.

I’ve also only messed it up once- ironically, the day we shot these pics! I CAN”T w/ myself. I put it in smaller dishes to get the cute factor and totally cooked it the same way as I would if it were in a 9x12 (which I highly suggest you use lol) and it was the first time I didn’t eat the whole pan. Don’t get me wrong, I still ate a solid half a pan, but def use a 9x12. I like to think that I make these mistakes so you don’t have to!

CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD PUDDING

W/ CINNAMON RUM SAUCE
OG recipe from Epicurious

I made this recipe for years using only brioche bread, but this past Christmas, I was too late to the game on my quest to find brioche at the grocery store! I used a French loaf (the thicker one, not the baguette) and my trusty taste testers (ie family) and I decided that it might have stolen our hearts. So if you can’t find a brioche loaf, then a wide French loaf will be just as amazing and a little sturdier!

INGREDIENTS

Bread Pudding

• 1 1-pound loaf brioche (or loaf of your choice) with crust, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 2 1/2 cups half and half

• 1 cup sugar

• 6 large eggs

• 4 large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

Cinnamon Rum Sauce

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup dark rum

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

For the Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place bread in large bowl; pour 8 tablespoons melted butter over bread and toss to coat. Add chocolate chips and toss to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared dish.

2. Whisk half and half, 1 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt in large bowl to blend. Pour over bread cubes in dish. Let stand 30 minutes, occasionally pressing bread cubes into custard. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

3. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over pudding; sprinkle with brown sugar.

4. Bake bread pudding until puffed, brown, and set in center, about 1 hour. Serve warm with Cinnamon-Rum Sauce.

For the Cinnamon-Rum Sauce:

1. Melt unsalted butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling and smooth, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk in dark rum and vanilla extract. Serve warm. (We often omit the rum because I rarely have it on hand, but was recently reminded that it is an excellent addition;)

(Cinnamon-Rum Sauce can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat, whisking occasionally, before serving.)