:: Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding ::
Oh… do I have a tasty indulgence for you today! My friends, this is definitely my favorite breakfast treat at the moment! It’s delicious served warm for breakfast {or dessert}… and it’s even good cold, straight out of the fridge {don’t ask me how I know that}! One of my dearest friends recently gave me the recipe to try out with my family. We’ve made it two times in the last week! Remember my husband who doesn’t like anything sweet? He LOVED it! In fact, I totally caught him with a fork sneaking bites out of the fridge. That never happens!
So, before I get started on the details of this amazingly delicious dish {that would be the perfect addition to your Christmas morning, I might add}… I must first tell you about my friend who passed on this recipe. I typically call her “Pretty”… because she’s so pretty, of course {inside & out}! I’m hoping that one day she’ll decide to write a guest post for Simply Happenstance and tell you all about her testimony and issues she’s faced over the past few years. She is hands down, one of the strongest, most God-loving, positive, and wonderful mamas I know! She has taught and encouraged me so much over the past five years that I have known her. The most cherished girlfriends that I have in my life are definitely the ones that bring me closer to God. “Pretty” is one of those. We don’t live near each other any longer {now that our family has moved to the mountains}, but we talk on the phone almost daily. She uplifts my spirit in so many ways. I hope that all of you have a friend like that in your life. It is such an incredible gift…
So… back to breakfast! I hope you decide to make this recipe for Christmas morning, or for another special occasion. You can definitely prepare it the night before and refrigerate it until morning. I included an optional sweet and crumbly topping that you sprinkle on just prior to baking. This dish is buttery from the rich flavor of the croissants. The blueberries add a sweet freshness {I’ve used both fresh & frozen… and both were equally good}. The cream cheese filling makes the bread pudding taste almost like a danish! It’s warm, gooey, moist, and so rich… but in the best possible way!
Although I usually use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, I chose to use my electric hand beaters this time. At the moment, it is really difficult to soften cream cheese in our chilly mountain climate. I softened it slightly in the microwave for 20 seconds and then beat the cream cheese with the sugar until thick and creamy. The electric hand beaters seemed to give me more control and did a fabulous job making the mixture smooth.
After the cream cheese and sugar were well combined, I added in the other wet ingredients. I then poured it over the croissants and blueberries.
Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 3-4 large croissants cut up {about 5 to 5 1/2 cups}
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 package cream cheese softened {8 oz.}
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk
Topping {optional}
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place croissant pieces into a greased 8x8 square pan {or similarly sized casserole dish}. Sprinkle with fresh or defrosted blueberries.
- Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add milk, beating well after each addition. Pour evenly over croissant pieces. Let stand 20 minutes {you can also cover and refrigerate the dish leaving it overnight to bake in the morning}.
- Just prior to baking, prepare optional topping by combining brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, incorporate cold butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until set in center and golden brown. {You may want to cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes if the tops are getting too brown.}
- Serve warm.
- Variation: Instead of baking in a square pan, you can also bake individually. Place croissant pieces evenly in 8-10 {1/2-cup} ramekins; sprinkle with blueberries and pour cream cheese mixture evenly over croissant pieces. Let stand for at least 20 minutes. Sprinkle each with topping mixture {optional}. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until set in center and golden brown.
Notes
Another option to making one main bread pudding dish, is to use individual ramekins…. This would be so pretty if you are entertaining friends and family over the holidays!
However you choose to serve this Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding, it will be delightful! Enjoy… and call one of your sweetest friends today, just because!
