Warm spiced bread pudding studded with tart cranberries and drizzled with a white chocolate amaretto sauce.
In Austin, the holiday season is synonymous with pecans and warm spices. While we might not always get snow, we certainly make up for it with desserts that smell like the holidays. This Cranberry Amaretto Bread Pudding is my go-to "fancy" comfort food for dinner parties. It takes the humble concept of bread pudding and elevates it with a heavy hand of warming spices-cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon-and a sophisticated white chocolate sauce spiked with almond liqueur. It strikes that difficult balance between homey rustic charm and elegant flavor, making it perfect for Christmas brunch or a New Year's Eve dessert.
The secret to the texture lies in the bread itself. Do not use fresh, soft French bread from the bakery shelf. You need "day-old" bread that has staled slightly, or bread that has been cubed and left on the counter for a few hours. This dryness allows the bread to act as a sponge for the custard; if the bread is too fresh, it will dissolve into a mushy, unappetizing paste.
The Ultimate Festive Finish
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Aromatic Spices: This recipe uses a generous amount of nutmeg and cloves, creating a deep, warming flavor profile that fills the kitchen with holiday scents.
- Texture Contrast: The chewiness of the dried cranberries and the crunch of toasted pecans provide excellent relief from the soft, creamy custard.
- The Sauce: The white chocolate amaretto sauce is a game-changer, adding a creamy, nutty sweetness that pairs perfectly with the tart cranberries.
- Crowd-Friendly: Baked in a 13x9 dish, this feeds a large gathering easily and stays warm for a long time.
Ingredients
To achieve the right balance of spice and sweet, precise ingredients are key:
- French Bread: You need about 6 cups of cubed day-old bread. A crusty baguette or Italian loaf works best because the crust holds its shape during soaking.
- Eggs: 3 large eggs at room temperature to emulsify the custard.
- Milk: 4 cups of 2% milk provides a lighter custard than heavy cream, balancing the richness of the sauce.
- Spices: A robust blend of 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 3 teaspoons ground nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon ground cloves. This is a heavily spiced dish.
- Dried Cranberries: ½ cup provides tart, chewy bites.
- Pecans: ½ cup chopped. Being in Texas, I always recommend toasted local pecans for the best flavor.
- Amaretto: An almond-flavored liqueur used in the sauce. Brands like Disaronno are standard.
- White Baking Chips: 1 cup for the sauce. Use high-quality chips (like Ghirardelli) that contain cocoa butter for a smooth melt.
How to Make Cranberry Amaretto Bread Pudding
Mix the Custard
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. In a very large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, packed brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed and no lumps of brown sugar remain.
Soak the Bread
Stir the dried cranberries and toasted pecans into the liquid. Gently fold in the cubed French bread. Press the bread down with a spatula to ensure it is submerged. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. This rest period allows the dry bread to hydrate and absorb the flavor of the spices.
Bake
Transfer the soaked mixture to your prepared baking dish. Spread it out evenly. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. You are looking for the pudding to be puffed up (it will deflate slightly upon cooling) and golden brown on top. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean, without liquid custard clinging to it.
Make the Amaretto Sauce
About 5 minutes before the pudding is done, prepare the sauce. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the white baking chips and cubed butter. Heat over low heat-white chocolate scorches easily-stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat immediately. Stir in the amaretto liqueur until the sauce is glossy.
Serve
Serve the bread pudding warm, drizzled generously with the warm amaretto sauce.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overheating White Chocolate: White chocolate is temperamental. If you use high heat, it will seize and turn into a gritty, clumpy mess. Low and slow is the only way, and remove it from the heat before adding the alcohol.
- Rushing the Soak: If you bake immediately after mixing, the top layer of bread will be hard and dry while the bottom will be soupy. Give it the full 15 minutes.
- Under-baking: Because of the high volume of milk, this pudding takes time to set. If you pull it too early, the center will be watery. Trust the knife test.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Toast the Pecans: Before adding them to the mix, toast your pecans in a dry skillet for 3-4 minutes. This releases the oils and keeps them crunchy inside the soft pudding.
- Plump the Cranberries: For an extra boozy kick, you can soak the dried cranberries in a splash of warm amaretto for 10 minutes before adding them to the egg mixture.
- Tent with Foil: If the top of the bread pudding is getting dark brown but the center is still liquid (check around the 40-minute mark), cover the dish loosely with foil to prevent burning.
Variations
- Alcohol-Free: Substitute the amaretto liqueur in the sauce with 1 teaspoon of almond extract. The flavor profile will remain very similar.
- Dark Chocolate: If white chocolate is too sweet for you, swap the chips for semi-sweet chocolate. The result will be richer and less like a glaze.
- Cherry Almond: Swap the dried cranberries for dried cherries for a classic cherry-almond flavor combination.
How to Serve
This dish is best served warm. It is rich enough that it doesn't need ice cream, but a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream can help cut the intensity of the spices. Leftovers are excellent for breakfast with coffee.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Prep Ahead: You can assemble the bread and custard mixture in the baking dish, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight. The bread will absorb even more liquid, resulting in a denser, more custard-like pudding. Bake as directed the next day (add 5-10 minutes if baking from cold).
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. The sauce will solidify in the fridge, so it needs to be warmed gently to become pourable again.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes / What I Learned
During testing, I found that the spice quantities listed (especially the cloves) are quite potent. If you prefer a milder spice flavor, feel free to halve the nutmeg and cloves. The sauce is also very sweet, so drizzle lightly at first!
Nutrition Snapshot
One serving contains approximately 420 calories, 18g fat, and 56g carbohydrates.
Cranberry Amaretto Bread Pudding
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Whisk
- 13x9-in. baking dish greased
- Small heavy saucepan for sauce
Ingredients
Group: Pudding
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 cups 2% milk
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup toasted chopped pecans optional
- 6 cups cubed day-old French bread
Group: SAUCE
- 1 cup white baking chips
- ¼ cup butter, cubed
- ¼ cup amaretto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla and spices. Stir in cranberries and, if desired, pecans. Gently stir in bread; let stand until bread is softened, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake until pudding is puffed and golden, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.
- In a small heavy saucepan, heat baking chips and butter over low heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in amaretto. Serve with warm bread pudding.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Can I use sourdough bread?
Sourdough adds a tangy flavor that might clash with the delicate white chocolate and sweet amaretto. I recommend sticking to a neutral French or Italian loaf, or even brioche for a richer version.
My sauce separated. Can I fix it?
If the sauce breaks (oil separates from solids), whisk in a teaspoon of boiling water vigorously. This can sometimes bring the emulsion back together.
Is the alcohol cooked out?
The alcohol in the sauce is added at the end and not cooked, so it retains its potency. If serving to children, use the almond extract substitution mentioned in the Variations section.
