Cherry Chocolate Almond Croissant Bread Pudding

Cherry Chocolate Almond Croissant Bread Pudding

What a terrific combination of textures and flavors. The crispy crunch of the croissants matches the rich, creamy custard and the pudding is raised to another level with the chocolate, cherry and sliced almonds.

Ingredients

Servings:

3 Tbsp. butter, softened
9 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream
1 Tbsp. almond extract
24 medium croissants, split/halved horizontally
3 cups mini semisweet chocolate pieces
1 3/4 qt. (63 oz.) LUCKY LEAF® Premium Cherry Fruit Filling
3 cups toasted sliced almonds
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F conventional or 300°F convection.
  2. Spread butter on bottom and sides of a full-size steamtable pan (12" x20" x3") and reserve.
  3. In another full-size steamtable pan container, combine eggs, half-and-half and almond extract and whisk together until smooth. Add croissants and toss gently to coat evenly. Let croissants soak 15 minutes, turning once. Place bottom halves of soaked croissants, cut-side-up, in the bottom of the prepared steamtable pan. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups chocolate pieces. Spoon 3 cups of pie filling over chocolate and top with 1 1/2 cups of the nuts.
  4. Add croissant tops, cut-sides down, in an even layer over top and cover with remaining chocolate, another 3 cups pie filling and the remaining nuts. Drizzle any remaining egg mixture over top.
  5. Bake, uncovered, 50- 60 minutes or until center is set. Remove from heat and cool on wire rack about 30 minutes.
  6. To Serve: Cut bread pudding into 24 servings. Serve each serving with a scoop of ice cream, if desired. Heat remaining pie filling and serve on the side of each serving.

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