Pink Lady® Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce

Directions

Bread Pudding

1. The night before you plan to make the bread pudding, spread the bread pieces on a sheet pan and leave on the counter overnight to dry out. Alternatively, you can toast the bread pieces in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes until lightly toasted and set aside to cool completely, then continue with recipe.
2. Place the dried bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg together until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the cubes; stir gently to coat the bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a muffin tin with 8 liners, or grease well with butter.
4. Gently fold the diced apples into the soaked bread cubes just until distributed. Spoon about a half cup of bread pudding into each of the 8 cups, sprinkle tops with the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and bake for 40-50 minutes, until lightly browned and set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from muffin pan.
5. Serve warm with cinnamon bourbon sauce drizzled over the top.
6. Wrap leftover bread pudding in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month. Reheat before serving.

Cinnamon Bourbon Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and the egg and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened, taking care not to let the sauce simmer, to prevent curdling (if your sauce does curdle, simply blend it smooth again in the blender).
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the bourbon and cinnamon. Drizzle warm over the bread pudding.
3. Store cooled leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.