This version of bread pudding uses stale croissants and is tossed in a custard base with slivered almonds and topped with vanilla bean whipped cream and homemade salted caramel sauce.
I will absolutely order bread pudding for dessert when I see it on a restaurant menu but I don’t like to share, so I wrote this recipe to be portioned for individual servings.
This version of bread pudding uses stale croissants and is tossed in a custard base with slivered almonds and topped with vanilla bean whipped cream and homemade salted caramel sauce.
Slivered almonds – Diamond Nuts slivered almonds add a bit of texture and crunch to the custard-soaked croissants.
Croissants – It’s not worth spending money on the top of the line pastries when they will be repurposed into this dessert. The croissants are torn into pieces before they’re soaked in the custard mixture.
How to Make Croissant Bread Pudding
For the vanilla-bean whipped cream:
Infuse the cream with vanilla. Use a sharp knife to slice the vanilla bean lengthwise. Add the cream to a small bowl and use the tip of the knife to scrape the insides of the vanilla bean into the cream. Add the vanilla bean to the bowl of cream and cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chill the whisk attachment of a stand mixer and bowl.
Beat the cream. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Add sugar. Keep the mixture running while you add the sugar then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high, beating until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the croissant bread pudding:
Make the custard. Heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk, butter, almond extract, brown sugar and salt whisking until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk the eggs into the cooled milk mixture.
Make the bread pudding. Add the torn croissants to a large mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants and add ¾ cup of the almonds, tossing to combine.
Bake the pudding. Divide the mixture among 6 (10-ounce) ramekins and top with the remaining almonds. Bake until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool Remove from oven and let cool.
To make the salted caramel sauce:
Cook the sugar. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the sugar with ¼ cup of cold water. Cook, without stirring until the sugar becomes a deep golden brown color, about 10 minutes.
Add the cream. Add the cream to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and warm. Slowly whisk the warm cream into the caramel mixture and simmer until the mixture is smooth about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and salt.
For serving:
Assemble and serve. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the warm almond croissant bread pudding and top with whipped cream.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
If you don’t happen to have leftover croissants for this recipe buy some cheaper grocery store croissants – the kind that come six to a box in the pastry/ bread section.
The croissants can either be left out overnight or baked at 250ºF for 20 minutes until dried out and stale.
This recipe uses ramekins for individual versions of bread pudding though it can be made in a 9×9 baking dish and cut into pieces.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
6day-old croissants,torn into 1” pieces, about 6 cups
1cupsliced Diamond Nuts sliced almonds,divided
For the salted caramel sauce:
1cupgranulated sugar
½cupheavy cream
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
¾teaspoonkosher salt
Instructions:
For the vanilla-bean whipped cream:
Use a sharp knife to slice the vanilla bean lengthwise. Add the cream to a small bowl and use the tip of the knife to scrape the insides of the vanilla bean into the cream. Add the vanilla bean to the bowl of cream and cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chill the whisk attachment of a stand mixer and bowl.
Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Keep the mixture running while you add the sugar then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high, beating until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the croissant bread pudding:
Heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk, butter, almond extract, brown sugar and salt whisking until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk the eggs into the cooled milk mixture.
Add the torn croissants to a large mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants and add ¾ cup of the almonds, tossing to combine.
Divide the mixture among 6 (10-ounce) ramekins and top with the remaining almonds. Bake until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool.
For the salted caramel sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the sugar with ¼ cup of cold water. Cook, without stirring until the sugar becomes a deep golden brown color, about 10 minutes.
Add the cream to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and warm. Slowly whisk the warm cream into the caramel mixture and simmer until the mixture is smooth about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and salt.
For serving:
Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the almond croissant bread pudding and top with whipped cream.
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