Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce

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This Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce is an indulgent dessert! Brioche bread baked in a cinnamon custard then topped with a whiskey cream sauce!

Top down view of cranberry bread pudding in a casserole dish topped with powdered sugar and sugared cranberries.

Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce

This cranberry bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce is the perfect Christmas dessert! Or the perfect dessert for anytime really. 

It’s rich brioche bread baked in a cinnamon custard studded with dried cranberries. Then to make it even more indulgent, top it with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle it with the whiskey cream sauce or caramel sauce.

You could also serve this for a brunch as an overnight french toast casserole since they are pretty much the same thing.

Some other great Christmas dessert options are: Homemade Chocolate Truffles, Classic Pumpkin Pie (it’s not just for Thanksgiving, lol!), and Chocolate Meringue Pie.

Piece of cranberry bread pudding with a scoop of ice cream on top.

Christmas Dessert

So, are all of you getting excited yet?? Christmas will be here shortly and my kiddos keep reminding me daily. I still have to finish all of my shopping, yikes!! 

In past years I was more on top of things and would have everything bought Thanksgiving weekend. It was so nice to have it all done and able to put a big fat check next to it.

Top down view of cranberry bread pudding with scoops of ice cream on top and garnished with sugared cranberries.

This year things have been a little bit on the crazy side and I am only about half done with my shopping. But at least I’m that far! 

I just need to take one day and buckle down and get it finished. Anyway, I have been creating many yummy Christmas treats! So stay tuned for some DIY Christmas food gifts this week.

Whiskey cream sauce being poured over a slice of cranberry bread pudding.

About this Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce:

  • Feel free to change out the brioche bread for challah or regular white bread.
  • If you don’t like dried cranberries change them out for raisins or just leave them out. My grandma will put raisins in one half of the bread pudding and leave the other half of the pan without. That way it pleases all.
  • If you don’t like a whiskey cream sauce make a caramel sauce which is what my grandma makes and I will include the recipe for it as well.
  • Make-ahead tip: You can make both the bread pudding and sauce 2-3 days in advance and store covered in the refrigerator. You can warm this back up in the microwave if desired or serve at room temperature or cold. It’s really just a personal preference.

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This Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce is an indulgent dessert! Brioche bread baked in a cinnamon custard then topped with a whiskey cream sauce!

Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce

Course: Breakfast, Breakfast/Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread pudding
This Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce is an indulgent dessert! Brioche bread baked in a cinnamon custard then topped with a whiskey cream sauce!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 48 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 228kcal
Author: Malinda Linnebur
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Ingredients

Bread Pudding:

  • 1 (1 pound) (456g) loaf of brioche bread
  • 6 large eggs
  • 4 cups (940ml) whole milk
  • 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • ½ cup (70g) dried cranberries or raisins, optional

Whiskey Cream Sauce:

  • 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons whiskey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel Sauce:

  • ½ cup (113g) butter
  • 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (100g) packed brown sugar

Instructions

Bread Pudding:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  Lightly grease a 13×9 inch baking pan, set aside.  
  • Cut bread into 3/4 inch cubes and place in prepared baking dish, set aside. 
  • In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Pour over the bread cubes.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle dried cranberries over top of bread and using your fingers mix in slightly.  (You can also use half the amount of dried cranberries and sprinkle over half of the bread pudding.  This way it pleases those who don’t like dried cranberries and those that do). If you like the traditional bread pudding with more of a flat top, press the top of the pudding with your hands so most or all the bread cubes get pushed into the custard. 
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and center is set.  (The bread pudding will puff as it bakes and will deflate once it’s cooled).

Whiskey Cream Sauce:

  • In a medium sized saucepan combine the cream, egg yolks, and brown sugar and whisk until smooth.  Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until slightly thickened (coats the back of a spoon).  Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla.  Serve warm with bread pudding. 

Caramel Sauce:

  • In a medium sized saucepan melt the butter then whisk in the sugar and cream.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes, whisking constantly.  Serve warm with bread pudding. 

Notes

  1. Make ahead tip:  You can make both the bread pudding and sauce 2-3 days in advance and store covered in the refrigerator.  You can warm this back up in the microwave if desired or serve at room temperature or cold.  It’s really just a personal preference. 
  2. Nutrition Facts: Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate. Nutrition is for only the bread pudding and not the sauces. Nutrition is for 1/10 of the bread pudding. 

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 296IU | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe is adapted from my grandma’s bread pudding and the whiskey sauce from Foodiecrush

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