Chocolate-Walnut Bread Pudding

By Addie

Indulge in a decadent, fudgy chocolate cake that's topped with a warm coffee-cream sauce. It's the perfect way to end a meal.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 cups milk
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 3/4 cup presweetened cocoa powder
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 cups cubed Hawaiian sweet bread or cinnamon-swirl bread (no raisins), dried*
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 recipe Coffee-Cream Sauce

Preparation

Step 1

1. Lightly coat the inside of a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan heat milk over medium heat until very warm but not boiling. Remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces and cocoa powder (do not stir); let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth; cool slightly (about 10 minutes).

3. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and chocolate mixture. Gently stir in bread cubes and walnuts. Transfer bread mixture to the prepared cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for about 2-1/2 hours or until a knife inserted near center of pudding comes out clean (mixture will puff). Remove crockery liner from cooker, if possible, or turn off cooker. Cool, uncovered, for 30 minutes (pudding will fall as it cools).

5. To serve, spoon warm pudding into dessert dishes. Top each serving with Coffee-Cream Sauce.

COFFEE CREAM SAUCE:

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoon instant espresso
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon water
3 Tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon salt


In a medium bowl combine cream & coffee. Whisk until coffee is dissolved completely; set aside. In a saucepan over med/hi heat, combine sugar & water. Bring to a boil & let cook undisturbed until it becomes amber in color (about 5 min). Immediately stir in butter and remove from heat. Whisk in cream & salt. Enjoy







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From the Test Kitchen*

To cube and dry bread, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cut 1/2-inch bread slices into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread bread cubes in a single layer in a 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cubes are dry, stirring twice. Cool. (Cubes continue to dry and crisp as they cool.)