Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding With Warm Vanilla Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 -8 thick slices brioche bread, crusts removed (or other good bread such as challah)
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350f degrees .
• 2 melt 1/2 stick butter in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
• 3 cut brioche bread into 2-inch cubes, and press into the buttered dish.
• 4 in a medium bowl, stir together all other ingredients (except chocolate chips), stirring to combine well, and pour evenly over the cubed brioche.
• 5 sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• 6 bake the pudding for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• 7 warm vanilla sauce:.
• 8 meanwhile, place all vanilla sauce ingredients in sauce pan.
• 9 heat gently and stir often. don't overcook, only about 5 minutes. remove vanilla pod just before serving.
• 10 scoop bread pudding into twelve individual serving dishes, drizzle 2 spoonfuls of warm vanilla sauce over top of each serving. heaven!