Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Lily's Dark Chocolate, Cranberries and White Chocolate Drizzle

Good morning! The holidays are fast approaching and I am trying to narrow down my menu. Honestly, I can do without the turkey, just give me the mashed potatoes, gravy, yeast rolls and some sort of pumpkin dessert.

Of course I LOVE pumpkin pie but I also love to try new recipes at the holidays and when Lily's Sweets offered to let me try their new Stevia sweetened chocolate I though it might be an interesting accompaniment to my pumpkin bread pudding.

Lily's Sweets is the maker of no sugar added, fair trade chocolate bars and baking chips, which are both sweetened with all natural plant based, stevia.   In addition to the baking chips they sent me two of their delicious candy bars. I have to be honest, I was a little skeptical that I was going to like chocolate sweetened with stevia, but  all of the products are delicious!

They  taste exactly like the other chocolate chips and bars that I frequently buy and they melt just like chocolate too! If you are watching your sugar or are looking for  products to use in addition to other chocolate they are a wonderful alternative to traditional bars and chips. I also think they are a great way to shave a few calories off your baked treats this holiday season.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

1 9 inch loaf of prepared pumpkin bread
Recipe HERE


Custard:
Recipe from Bobby Flay Food Network
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons vanilla bean paste
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons Bourbon

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup Lily's Dark Chocolate Baking Chips

Dried Cranberries and Baking Chips for Garnish
store bought or homemade caramel for garnish
1 cup white chocolate chips melted for garnish

Heat oven to 325. Cut loaf of pumpkin bread into cubes and place on baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with butter, and scatter toasted pumpkin bread cubes across bottom.

In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk and vanilla bean paste. Bring to a simmer and set aside. In a large bowl combine eggs, maple syrup, pumpkin and whisk together.
Slowly whisk the cream mixture into the egg mixture, then add the Bourbon.

Add the Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips and the dried cranberries, mix well.
Pour the custard mixture over the pumpkin cubes and let sit for 15 minutes to soak in. Press down on the cubes to submerge.

Place the pan into a larger roasting pan and then pour hot tap water into the large roaster until it comes half-way up the sades of the pan containing the custard mixture.

Bake in the water bath until the sides are slightly puffy and the center jiggles, about 1 hour.

Remove pan from water bath and let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Slice bread pudding and drizzle with melted white chocolate, and caramel then garnish with cranberries and dark chocolate chips

This pumpkin bread pudding is fabulous! It has great pumpkin flavor and the custard is almost like a thin layer of pumpkin pie filling over the top of the pumpkin bread. The addition of the dark chocolate and tart cranberries bring in an added layer of goodness and the flavors of the holidays. This dessert is going to be a staple at my table this holiday season.

I hope that you have a fabulous holiday, filled with tasty treats and lots of time with family and friends!

NOTE: I was not compensated in any way for this post. I was given complimentary products to sample but all opinions are my own. 

If you would like additional information about Lily's Sweets  chocolates visit their link or if you would like to purchase them they are sold at Whole Foods Market.

Also, if you are looking for other scrumptious baked goods made with Lily's chips, click HERE.