I know apple pie is the norm for Thanksgiving but this Apple Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy Sauce screams holiday! Super decadent! You will only need a small piece, maybe..
Well, I wasn’t planning on cooking for Thanksgiving this year but our dinner for seven quickly soared to sixteen in the past day! Wow, this is going to be a fun day! Me and my parents, my brother and his family, my Aunt Nancy, old man Cotton, my friends Lauren and Paul and their kiddos and family friends Rona and Mark. Oh and six dogs… It’s gonna be a super fun group filled with I’m sure lively conversation and way too much food. That’s ok though, we are really blessed that we can feed that many people! I’m in charge of smoking a turkey breast on my Traeger and saw this recipe for a Maple Bourbon Brine. I have never brined a turkey before so I’m looking forward to trying something new. I am going to do this on Tuesday as the week is gonna get crazy busy! What I’m most looking forward is to seeing my nieces and sister in law! It’s been a year since we have seen each other which is silly but we all get busy. So the plan is for everyone to come down to my place on Wednesday after we go do a mine tour up in Idaho Springs and lunch in Georgetown. I’m excited to make a big family dinner and show off the new kitchen!
I’ll be making my Pumpkin Ale Pot Roast, egg noodles and a big salad for dinner and I made this Apple Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy Sauce for dessert. I’m pretty sure that my family is going to kill me for making this super rich amazing bread pudding but I had to! It’s what happens when I clean out my freezer and I find a bag of leftover brioche from my Fireball Whiskey Peach bread pudding this summer. With the spirit of Thanksgiving upon us and knowing that we would get our fill on apple pie this week, Apple Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy Sauce just sounded good! Of course, I had to add booze to the recipe and Calvados (apple brandy) was the perfect addition. It really makes it taste the most flavorful apple ever! If you are looking for something else other than pie on Thanksgiving, make this! It’s so delicious and you may want to take a bath in this sauce!
Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
- [br][b]For the Filling[/b][br]
- 1 stick butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 large honey crisp apples, cored and chopped
- 1 cup rasins
- 1 cup candied walnuts (see below)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup Calvados
- [br][b]For the Bread Pudding[/b][br]
- 8 cups day old bread cubes (I used Brioche but a French or Italian bread would work too)
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- [br][b]For the Apple Brandy Sauce[/b][br]
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup Calvados
- [br][b]Candied Walnuts[/b][br]
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups chopped walnuts
- 3/4 brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt.
- To make the candied walnuts. In a large saute pan melt the butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until melted. Stir in the walnuts and incorporate well. Transfer to a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a large sized saute pan, melt the butter, add the brown sugar, apples, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, vanilla and brandy. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until apples become softened but still slightly firm. Stir in the candied walnuts. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and half and half. Pour over the bread and let sit for a half an hour.
- When ready to begin assembling the bread pudding. In a large bowl, add the apple mixture to the bread and incorporate well. Prepare a 10×14 baking dish by spraying it liberally with cooking spray. Add the bread and apple mixture.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven. Bake until golden brown, puffed, and slightly firm when pressed in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside for 20 minutes to a half hour before serving.
- While the bread pudding is cooling make the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Add the sugar, stirring until sugar melts. In another bowl whisk together the cream, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and eggs. Add the cream mixture to the butter. Cook on medium, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately add the Calvados. Transfer to a heat proof bowl to keep the sauce warm. Serve with the bread pudding.
- Top with additional candied walnuts.
All chopped up and ready to make the filling! These apples were perfect!
Apple brandy makes this sauce and bread pudding extra special!