Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding!

      For me, Krispy Kreme donuts and childhood go hand in hand. I can remember watching the freshly made donuts come off the line and being handed a hot, sugary donut. There was nothing quite like that first warm bite. A few weeks ago when I was pinning recipes on Pinterest, I discovered a Krispy Kreme bread pudding. I think my heart skipped a beat! Bread pudding is a dessert that I have only recently learned to appreciate, so I was interested in this recipe due to it combining an old childhood favorite of Krispy Kreme and my new fondness for bread pudding. My initial excitement of finding this recipe caused me to have quite high expectations for the final product.

     I used a recipe from a blog titled Sweetapolita. The recipe was very simple to follow. If you can cut, stir, and use an oven-you're set! It did feel a little strange cutting nearly a dozen donuts into small pieces instead of just biting into one! The most important thing to know about this recipe it that it is quite a long cooking process. It took nearly three hours from start to finish. The good news is that there is very little hands on time, so it is very easy to go and do other things while the bread pudding is cooking. I only changed a few things about the recipe-I added a small amount of cinnamon and I did not make the expresso whipped cream that was suggested. The cinnamon just called to me due to the sweet vanilla like flavors that the bread pudding would create. I am not a huge fan of whipped cream. The bread pudding was the star of the show for me. However, we happened to have freshly made whipped cream. So my mom and grandma added it to their bread pudding.

Krispy Kreme bread pudding with fresh whipped cream.

I'll be honest, Krispy Kreme bread pudding is not the most glamorous and appealing looking dessert in the world. It is a light yellow color, similar to the color of scrambled eggs with pieces of browned donuts poking out on top. The yellow color is not surprising due to the recipe calling for two whole eggs and ten egg yolks! While it isn't exactly pretty, the smell is absolutely divine. My whole kitchen smells like sugary donuts. The appearance almost makes me feel like it won't be very delicious and that it will be bland. The aroma made me want to forget about the thirty minute cool down, but somehow I resisted.

     With the very first bite, I knew this bread pudding was worth the three hour cook time. It was comfort in a bite. It was warm and extremely moist. My neighbor described it best “it tastes like Krispy Kreme French toast” it had the eggy flavor but you could definitely taste the sweet glaze of a donut with a hint of cinnamon. I could actually see it as a breakfast casserole with some fresh fruit on top or as a dessert with whipped cream. My mom thought it would be great with some bourbon sauce on it. It was cooked perfectly. It had a creamy consistency with a slight crunch on top. I am very glad I added the pinch of cinnamon I really think it added a great flavor to the dessert. Everyone who tried it thought it was delicious and enjoyed the donut twist on a traditional bread pudding. I'm already looking forward to the next time I make the Krispy Kreme bread pudding. It would make a wonderful winter treat!