Sometime over the summer when the Food Network was on and Paula Deen was making Coconut Cream Bread Pudding, it was decided right then and there that this was a must have dessert at our Thanksgiving dinner.

I was open to open to the suggestion but somewhat surprised that this would take the place of one of our traditional desserts like apple or pumpkin pie! Who was I to argue about trying something new!

Not only did I like the fact it was very simple to make but I could not argue with how good it was and with the chocolate sauce on top it was a dessert that everyone enjoyed even if they did not like bread pudding to begin with they became fans of this dessert!   This is a great bread pudding with terrific coconut flavoring but not too much coconut flavor.  The chocolate sauce added the perfect finishing touch to the dessert.

So I hope you will try Paula Deen’s Coconut Bread Pudding! If you have any leftover chocolate sauce and toasted coconut as I did, the next day I made truffles by making small balls of the chocolate with a small ice cream scoop and rolling them in the toasted coconut!

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

2 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

1 hr 40 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

• Butter, for dish
• 1 (16 to 20-inch loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 (13 1/2-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can cream of coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch mace
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, plus 1/2 cup, toasted for garnish
• Chocolate Velvet Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Lightly butter the bottom of a 9-inch square flameproof baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes evenly in the dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, whole eggs, coconut milk, cream of coconut, salt, nutmeg, and mace. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut flakes. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, pressing the bread cubes gently to soak up the custard. Let the mixture stand for 1 hour, covered, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sprinkle the top of the pudding with the remaining 1/2 cup coconut flakes. Cover the baking dish with foil, poking a few holes in the top to release the steam. Put the baking dish into a roasting pan on the oven rack. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the pudding is firm to the touch, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove the baking dish from the water bath and run it under the broiler, at least 4 inches from the heat, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Let the pudding cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Pour the sauce over individual pudding servings, as desired. Top with toasted coconut and serve.

Chocolate Velvet Sauce:

• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the chocolate sauce right before serving the pudding. Put the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over low heat; immediately remove it from the heat and pour it over the chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.

Notes

The chocolate sauce can be reheated in a saucepan over low heat. Add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, to return it to the desired consistency.

Courtesy of the Food Network