Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding

Introducing you to my favorite Christmas breakfast dish-to-pass: apple cranberry bread pudding.

Enjoy all the amazing flavors of the holiday season with this sweet bread pudding filled with whole grain bread, caramelized apples, bursty cranberries, dark brown sugar, warm cinnamon and vanilla.

Not only is it incredibly delicious, it’s also perfect for making ahead!

How to make apple cranberry bread pudding?

Featured Ingredients

• Bread: I like to make this bread pudding hearty and wholesome, so I use whole grain bakery bread.
  • If you’d like this bread pudding to be incredibly rich, go for the brioche.
  • It’s loaded with eggs and butter, which gives this pudding a solid foundation of flavor.
  • And, if you’d like a bit of natural tang, definitely go for the sourdough! Any option will work incredibly well in this dish, though!
• Eggs: Obviously we need eggs in bread pudding - they hold everything together!
• Milk: We used cow’s milk in this recipe, but if you’d love to play around with different flavor profiles, feel free to substitute in almond milk.
  • Either plain or vanilla-flavored would work brilliantly with the other ingredients.
  • Oak milk would be good too, just make sure that you grab unsweetened, because oat milk is naturally sweet, and you don’t want the dish to be cloyingly sugary.
• Apples: Some great varieties for this apple cranberry bread pudding are Empire, Fuji, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Gala apples.
  • You can even mix and match them for more variety!
• Cranberries: Fresh berries would be great here, but if you can’t find fresh cranberries feel free to thaw frozen berries and add them in.
• Orange Juice: We really like the brightness and acidity of freshly squeezed orange juice.
  • But, if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to substitute in orange juice from the carton. The best type for the swap-in would be “some pulp.”
• Brown Sugar: Either dark brown sugar or light brown sugar will work equally well in this recipe.
  • I don't use too much, just enough to sweeten it up but we don't want this bread pudding to be too sweet.
• Maple Syrup: Definitely go for “Amber and Rich” maple syrup for this bread pudding.
  • It’s got a load of depth and will flavor the dish beautifully without overpowering it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the apples and cranberries and sauté 4-5 minutes or until soft.
4. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and brown sugar.
6. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts.
7. Add the cubed bread and apple cranberry mixture and stir until combined.
8. Place the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
9. Spread with a spatula into an even later. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is almost set.
10. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the topping ingredients until combined.
11. Remove the bread pudding from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the oat pecan mixture on top.
12. Bake another 10-15 minutes or until the bread and egg mixture is completely set.
13. Let sit until slightly cool, then scoop into bowls and top with maple syrup. Serve.

Recipe Substitutions and Alternatives

• Apples: Try this recipe with pears instead of apples (or use both!).
• Cranberries: Try with blueberries instead of cranberries.
• Orange: If you're not a fan of orange, try this with a splash of balsamic.
• Bread: Use whole grain, brioche or sourdough. Choose a fresh loaf from the bakery!
• Milk: Use any type of milk for this recipe.
• Pecans: Try walnuts or almonds or a mixture of all three.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make this gluten free: Use a loaf a gluten free bread. Be sure all other ingredients are gluten free.
• To make this dairy free: Use a dairy free milk alternative, like soy, almond, cashew, rice or coconut milk.
• To make this vegan: Use a plant-based milk alternative, like soy, almond, cashew, rice or coconut milk. Use flax "eggs" instead of eggs (however, this will drastically change the texture of the dish, as eggs provide the bouncy texture of bread pudding).
• To make this nut free: Skip the pecans. Be sure all other ingredients are nut free.

Try one of these holiday recipes:

• Cranberry Sauce
• Maple Sweet Potato Soup
• Cranberry-Orange Glazed Turkey Breast + Apple Sausage Stuffing
• Brussels Sprouts Cranberry Salad
• Cranberry & Goat Cheese Stuffed Pears

Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding

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The perfect fall or winter bread pudding made with brioche, apples, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg! It's so delicious and can be made ahead of time! 

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 70 mins
• Yield: 12 Servings 1x
• Category: Dessert, Snack
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Apples and Cranberries:

• 2 ½ tablespoons butter
• 2 medium firm apples, skins on, diced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Bread Pudding:

• 4 large eggs
• 4 cups milk
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 loaf whole grain, brioche or sourdough bread (from the bakery)

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Serving:

• Maple syrup, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and cranberries and sauté 4-5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the orange zest and juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and brown sugar. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the cubed bread and apple cranberry mixture and stir until combined.
4. Place the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread with a spatula into an even later. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is almost set.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the topping ingredients until combined.
6. Remove the bread pudding from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the oat pecan mixture on top. Bake another 10-15 minutes or until the bread and egg mixture is completely set.
7. Let sit until slightly cool, then scoop into bowls and top with maple syrup. Serve.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/12 of recipe
• Calories: 266
• Sugar: 17 g
• Sodium: 297 mg
• Fat: 7 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 74 mg
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 74 mg