My Top Picks Slow Cooker

Mocha Bread Pudding (Slow Cooker)

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It New Cookbook

Need a 6-quart Crock pot or Slow Cooker (see note).
Perfect, not to rich or sweet.
You don't have to use the instant coffee if you are not a fan of coffee.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbls. butter or non-stick cooking spray
  • 12 cups (16-18 slices) of day old cubed hearty white bread, such as French, Italian or French Pheasant
  • 4 c. whole milk
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 Tbls. vanilla
  • 1/3 c. white sugar
  • ¾ c. brown sugar
  • ¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1-1/2 Tbls. instant coffee granules
  • ¾ c. dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ c. sliced almonds, toasted
  • vanilla ice cream, for serving

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 pkg. Kraft caramels, unwrapped
  • 3-4 Tbls. half and half (or milk)

Instructions

Generously grease inner crock with butter or non-stick cooking spray.

Place bread cubes in 6 qt. slow cooker.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together milk, eggs and vanilla. Add sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder and coffee. Mix well (I transfer to blender, in two batches, to liquefy and mix better).

Pour milk mixture over bread cubes. Stir and gently press to get all the bread cubes into the milk mixture. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Cover and cook on High for 2-1/2 hours (or 4-5 hours on Low), until puffy and liquid is gone from the middle.

Sprinkle with almonds and press them gently into the surface of the bread pudding. Allow to sit with the lid off for at least 30 minutes to firm up and cool down a bit.

Caramel Sauce: place unwrapped caramels in micro-safe glass bowl along with a 3-4 tablespoons of half and half or milk. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir and continue to microwave a minute at a time until caramels are melted. Stir well with a spoon. Store leftover sauce in refrigerator and reheat as needed.

Serve with ice cream or caramel sauce or both! Serves 12.

NOTE: I use Breadsmith bread. Experiment and add a little Kaluha, Frangelica or Bailey's to the milk mixture.

You can use a smaller crockpot, just cut recipe in half and/or in half again for a 1.5 cup slow cooker (serves 4)