What I Made: Eggnog Bread Pudding with Brandy Sauce

Oh hello there darlings!

Today I'm back with a very delectable little dessert recipe I made for some friends who came over for a visit last week.  It's winter, so naturally I love warm, brown-sugary, ooey gooey, bready desserts.  Who doesn't?  I promise this one will satisfy all your taste-buds and give you the warm fuzzies on the inside.  I first partook of this scrumptious little delight last winter when my mom opened up the Paula Deen cookbook and made it for us.  Of course, being the experimenter that I am, I had to change it up just a bit - my version calls for Eggnog (or flavored creamer and some cinnamon and spice).  Even better, it's so simple to make and really doesn't take much expertise in the kitchen if baking is really not your thing.  So without further ado:

* Adapted from here

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar 
5 large beaten eggs 
2 cups eggnog (if you don't have eggnog, you can use 1 cup of whole milk with another cup of flavored coffee creamer - The Bailey's Irish Cream kind is delicious!)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
3 cups cubed french bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
1 cup packed light brown sugar 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened  
1 cup chopped pecans

SAUCE: 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 
1 egg, beaten 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1/4 cup brandy

Tahitian vanilla gelato - (I found mine at Wegman's)


Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.
2.  Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and eggnog in a bowl; add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.
3.  In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.
4.  Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.


For the sauce: 
Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy, stirring well. 

Cut a piece of bread pudding (warm up if needed), top with vanilla gelato, and drizzle your brandy sauce on top.  

Bon Appetit!  

PS - Thanks for all the suggestions you gave for my dinner party this past Saturday.  The whole night went off like a hit, but more on that another day :-)

Love Bunches, 

What I Baked: White Chocolate Banana Cupcakes w/ Honey Cinnamon Frosting

Happy Friday Darlings!

As promised, here is my banana cupcake recipe that was a big hit last week when I had some company over. I'm quite the bananaholic as well as cupcake obsessor so this seemed to be the perfect combination for me. I took the main parts of my recipe from here & here and modified them just a bit to make them my own. 

What you will need:

Cakes:
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas & 1 extra non ripe banana for garnish.
1/4 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, you can use 1/4 of plain yogurt)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white baking chips

Truth be told - I did not use white chocolate chips in my cupcakes - though I wish I had as they taste absolutely delicious when thrown into a batch. I happened to have a bottle of Godiva white chocolate liqueur laying around that someone gave me as a gift so I used 1/2 cup of that instead - since I realize most people don't have this readily available in their house, I know that white chocolate chips would be a fantastic substitute.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting:
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
3 tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

These are my approximate measurements for the honey and ground cinnamon. You can use more or less depending on how sweet and cinnamon-y you prefer it to taste. I love honey and cinnamon both, so I went a bit more heavy handed then the original recipe called for.  Also, I don't use a ton of frosting on the cupcakes.  Since frosting is sooooo sweet, I always tend to just give my cakes a nice coating instead of piling it on.

Directions:
1. (Preheat oven to 350.) In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, bananas and buttermilk.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to banana mixture.

3. Fill 18 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

4. While baking, begin making your frosting. In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat your confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth - approximate 5-6 minutes. Frost cupcakes.

5. Top with a slice of banana if desired and sprinkle with a little extra ground cinnamon on top of the cupcakes as well as on the plate for a little added touch of sweet.

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Now put a cheesy smile on your face and enjoy with your friends:)

If you happen to give these a try, be sure to let me know what you think.

Catch you tomorrow darlings!

xx