Y’all, if you love apple fritters, my Apple Bread Pudding is about to be your new obsession! Think warm fritters soaked in custard like a classic bread pudding and baked until golden. Then I drizzle on a brown sugar cider glaze. It’s like the best parts of breakfast and dessert had a baby. Legit, it’s one of my best mashups ever!
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Apple Fritter Bread Pudding Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted Butter: You could use salted butter if that’s what you’ve got, just skip the extra salt later.
- Apples: I like a mix of sweet and tart, but you do you boo!
- Apple Cider: Apple juice works in a pinch.
- Brown Sugar: Gives the custard a deeper sweetness.
- Nutmeg & Cinnamon: If you don’t have nutmeg you can use a little extra cinnamon or apple pie spice.
- Calvados: It’s essentially a fancy-sounding apple brandy. Swap it with regular brandy or bourbon. Or for alcohol free, you can add a little more vanilla and apple juice.
- Evaporated Milk: Use half-and-half or whole milk instead. It’ll be slightly less creamy, but still delish.
- Apple Fritters: Make homemade or grab at your fave doughnut shop.
How to make Apple Bread Pudding
Cook the Apples
Step 1: Melt butter in a saucepan. Then, stir in apples, cider, sugar, and salt.
Step 2: Cook the apples on medium heat until they have softened and the liquid thickens slightly, about 12-15 minutes.
Mix the Custard
Step 3: Add eggs, yolk, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and Calvados to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
Step 4: Pour in butter and evaporated milk. Whisk gently until fully combined.
Assemble and Bake
Step 5: Fill the ramekins halfway with fritter pieces. Evenly pour apples and their liquid into each ramekin. Top with remaining fritter pieces and pour in the custard mixture, filling up the line or ¾ of the way. Gently press on fritters with a spoon or fork to help them to soak up the custard.
Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes or until pudding is browned and puffed up.
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Make the Sauce and Serve
Step 7: Add ¾ cup apple cider and brown sugar to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium low heat and reduce by ¼ cup (leaving you with a ½ cup cider), about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, Calvados, vanilla extract, and salt. It will thicken slightly as it sits.
Step 8: Pour sauce over each ramekin and enjoy immediately!
Apple Fritter Bread Pudding
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Ingredients
For the Apples and Glaze
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small apples ¼ inch dice (2.5 cups)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Custard
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Calvados
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¾ cups evaporated milk
- 4 large apple fritters 11 oz each/44 oz total in weight, torn into 1-inch pieces
For the Brown Sugar Cider Sauce
- ¾ cup apple cider 6 oz
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons Calvados
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For Apples
- In a medium 2 quart pot saucepan, melt butter, then stir in apples, cider, sugar, and salt. On medium heat, cook the apples until they have softened and the liquid thickens slightly, about 12-15 minutes. Apples should be fork tender. The glaze will be thin. Set aside.
For Custard
- Prepare six 9 or 10-ounce ramekins with butter or nonstick spray and place on a sheet pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolk, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and Calvados. Then gently whisk in butter and evaporated milk.
- Fill prepared ramekins halfway with fritter pieces. Evenly pour apples and their liquid into each ramekin, then top with remaining fritter pieces.
- Pour custard mixture in each ramekin, filling up the line or ¾ of the way. Gently press on fritters with a spoon or fork to help them to soak up the custard. Let sit for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F (you know your oven; you can wait until the mixture has sat for 10 minutes to start preheating your oven).
- Put sheet pan with ramekins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until pudding is browned and puffed up.
For Brown Sugar Cider Glaze
- While bread puddings are baking, in a medium saucepan add ¾ cup apple cider and brown sugar. Cook over medium low heat and reduce by ¼ cup (leaving you with a ½ cup cider), about 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter, Calvados, vanilla extract, and salt. It will thicken slightly as it sits.
- Remove bread puddings from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, pour sauce over each and enjoy immediately!
Notes
How to store & reheat Apple Fritter Bread Pudding
After baking, let your bread pudding cool completely, then pop it in the fridge. But hold off on adding that sauce before storing boos! Keep the sauce in a separate container and warm it up just before serving. That way you’ll keep the pudding from getting soggy. To reheat in the oven, cover the bread pudding with foil and bake at 350°F until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. For a quicker fix, microwave individual servings for about 1-2 minutes.How long will Apple Fritter Bread Pudding last in the fridge?
Your simple apple bread pudding will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3-4 days. After that, it’ll still be good, but that custardy goodness might start drying out a bit.Can I freeze apple bread pudding?
Yes, you can freeze it! Wrap the bread pudding tightly in plastic wrap or store in a freezer-safe container. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just don’t freeze the sauce, that’s a no-no. I tried it once, and let’s just say… It didn’t go well.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Let the Fritters Soak: Let those apple fritter pieces sit in the custard for at least 20 minutes. The longer they soak, the more flavor they absorb.
- Don’t Over-Bake: You want them to be golden brown, but not dried out. The bread pudding should be set, but still have a little jiggle in the center.
- Warm the Sauce: When pouring the sauce over your apple bread pudding, make sure it’s still warm so it soaks in better.
- Fork Test the Apples: The apples should be fork-tender, not mushy. You want them soft enough to bite into, but still holding their shape.
Recipe Help
Yes, day-old fritters work just fine! In fact, slightly stale fritters might soak up the custard even better.
Easy fix: grab a small casserole dish and bake it all together. You might need to tack on an extra 10-15 minutes, but just keep an eye on it.
Technically you could use regular bread, but then we wouldn’t be talking about apple fritter bread pudding, would we boos? Jokes aside, you could totally use stale brioche or challah.
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Thanks, boo!
What’s a Calvados?
It’s a brandy made from apples but you can use any brandy or an apple cider here.