Nutella Bread Pudding

How to make Nutella Bread Pudding – a decadent and delicious dessert.

There’s just something about a bread pudding – warm and comforting. They seem to transport you back to your childhood with each bite.

Back in the 90’s my husband and I lived in Germany as an active duty army family. While living in Europe we were introduced to many things that we had never been exposed to before. One of those delightful things was this interesting stuff called “Nutella.” A thick spread, kind of like peanut butter, Nutella is made from hazelnuts and cocoa. I was immediately in love with it the first time I tasted this heavenly concoction. It was one of the things that I wanted to bring back to the United States with me and knew I would miss when we returned. So, you can imagine my delight when one day I walked into a grocery store in North Carolina to be greeted by smiling jars of it!

Since then, Nutella can be found pretty much anywhere and peanut butter brands have even jumped on board with variations of hazelnut & cocoa spreads, too. I have made all sorts of goodies with these spreads, from cookies to lattes. This particular recipe that I have the joy of sharing with you today is for a bread pudding. The first time I made this for some friends, it blew them away. My husband loved it so much, that I made another one for him to take to work and treat his coworkers with two days later.

I recently made this for a gathering of friends and the response was overwhelming. I made another a couple days later for my husband to treat his office to.

To begin, you will need 9 small or 5 standard sized croissants. Day old ones work great for this. Slice the croissants open like you are going to make a sandwich. Spread a good layer of Nutella on the inside – about a tablespoon per small croissant, closer to 2 tablespoons for the large ones.

Close the “sandwich” and with a pair of kitchen shears, cut the croissants into mini sandwiches – about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in size. Arrange these in a 2 quart, shallow baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

And do your best to keep fingers from stealing these! I had to chase my son out of the kitchen.

In a mixing bowl, beat three eggs until frothy.

Add in 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, a teaspoon and a half of vanilla and 3/4 cup of sugar.

If you have some, add in 1/4 teaspoon of hazelnut extract. If you can’t find any, simply omit.

Whisk these all together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour this all over the top of the croissants.

Take a large spatula and press the croissants down into the custard. Allow this to sit on your counter for about 15 minutes, to give the custard time to soak in. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle a half cup of chopped pecans all over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10-15 more minutes or until the bread pudding is “puffed” and the pudding is set.

Allow this to cool for 20 minutes.

Then treat your friends and family to this impressive (yet…shhh!…simple) dessert.