Caramel Apple Bread Pudding-12 Weeks of Christmas Treats

Already we are at week 4 of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Brenda over at Meal Planning Magic.  This week I am posting a great fall recipe.  I am not sure I would call it a Christmas Treat, but I would call it very good.

Bread Pudding is a dessert that I am very fond of.  I love it when I can take everyday ingredients, including some that might have been thrown out, to make something delicious.  I recently decided to add some chopped apple and caramel bits to my old stand-by bread pudding recipe which came from a Better Homes and Garden cook book.  This addition added a nice autumn taste to the dish that we enjoyed very much

I  dry my left over bread and use it to make bread pudding, stuffing or bread crumbs.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding
4 beaten eggs
2 c. milk
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
3 c. (4 slices) dry bread cubes (I just break the slices up with my hands)
1 medium to large, peeled apple, diced
1/3 c. caramel bits (Kraft) or caramels, cut into quarters

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.  Beat until sugar is dissolved.  Add bread cubes and let stand 5 minutes.  Meanwhile peel and dice apple and cut up caramels if necessary.  Stir apple and caramel into bread mixture.  Turn mixture into a 8-inch square baking pan or 2 qt. casserole.  (I use a round casserole dish and cut this like a pie to serve.)  Bake at 325 degrees 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Mixture will puff up and then deflate when it is close to done.  Let cool.  Can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.  This is great with some caramel sauce spooned over it and some whipped cream dolloped on top.  Store any leftovers, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.  Makes 6 servings.

What are some of your favorite Christmas treats?  You can find out how to share them with us by checking out Brenda's page here.  There are 8 weeks to go so there is still plenty of time to share some of your favorites.

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