Cookie Butter Bread Pudding

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Oh my goodness, cookie butter (aka Speculoos) is so good! Seriously, if you haven’t tried it, let me be the one to introduce it to you!  My husband and I first had it on our honeymoon in New York six years ago.  We got breakfast at a waffle food truck called Wafles & Dinges and they offered Speculoos as a topping. The man described it as something with a texture similar to peanut butter and the flavor of Biscoff cookies (tasty cookie biscuits with a great sweetness and slight ginger taste). I was sold!  It was amazing and like nothing I’ve ever had before.  We bought a jar to take home and then slowly started seeing it pop up everywhere.  It was sort of fun to be at the beginning of a food craze. 🙂  Most brands now call it cookie butter and you can find it at Trader Joe’s and a lot of grocery stores.

Recently I had a hankering for cookie butter and started brainstorming ways to use it.  Bread pudding came to mind. I thought the sweet richness of cookie butter would add an amazing high point to the flavor of a dish that tends to more evenly sweet.  Bread pudding is often flavored with things like vanilla or bourbon and those all kind of fall into the same category, so I gave it a try.  It was amazing!

I started with a recipe from America’s Test kitchen for bread pudding and then adapted it.  The original called for Challah bread, but after a few tests I found I liked it better made with Brioche.  Both loaves are made with eggs but Brioche is a bit fluffier and has the added bonus of more butter (butter always wins in my book, he he). I also made some other small changes to get the texture and flavors just where I wanted it.

Let’s get to the bread pudding already!

Preheat the oven.  Start off by toasting the cubes of bread slightly.  This will help the bread absorb the custard and also will ensure the bread pudding isn’t a soggy mess. Put the cubes on a cookie sheet in one layer.  You may need to use two cookie sheets.  Put in the oven for 15 minutes, taking it out at the halfway point to toss the cubes.  This way they toast evenly.

Let the cubes cool for 15 minutes.  Mix together the 1 tablespoon white sugar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar and set aside. Now you’ll be making the custard portion.  Whisk together the egg yolks, salt, 3/4 cup white sugar and vanilla.  Make sure you use a large bowl for this because you’re going to end up adding the cubes of bread to this too. Obviously you’ll end up with a lot of leftover egg whites.  I can’t justify throwing them out so I can recommend some uses for them.  There are several other desserts you could make in the next week or so.  I ended up making Angel Food Cake one time (you’ll just need an additional 3 egg whites).  There’s also the option of meringues or Macarons (I will be using my whites next time around for this purpose, so stay tuned for a new recipe in the near future).  You could also make a large scramble, adding a few whole eggs.  One of the great things about doing more cooking is you end up wasting much less.  Whether it’s egg whites, leftover chicken,or some stray veggies, you can always find something amazing and new to make. 🙂

Now you’ll whisk in the cookie butter until it’s totally combined.  Then whisk in the heavy cream and milk.  Pour in the cubes of bread and stir until all the cubes are covered with custard.  Pour the whole mixture into a 9×13 pan and let it sit for 30 minutes.  This will give the bread time to soak up all that delicious custard.

Now brush the top with the melted butter and sprinkle over the brown and white sugar mixture.   This is going to create a wonderful crunchy texture on the top that is my favorite part!

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the custard is no longer liquid (no liquid pops through when you push on a bread cube). Mix together the remaining heavy cream and cookie butter and drizzle over the top.

 

Let cool slightly and serve.  Any leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!