This Brownie Bread Pudding is a chocoholic’s dream come true. It is decadently rich and tantalizing. Dress it with fresh whipped cream and berries for a smooth bite of ecstasy.
There are two kinds of people in the world: the kind of people who aren’t sure if they have extra cookies or brownies just lying around their house, all shrugged shoulders and devil-may-care about it, and the kind of people who know with pinpoint accuracy the location of every item of sugary value within a 50-foot radius.
Any guesses as to which one I am?
I am (obviously) the second type of person, but I have known the first sort, and I’ll be frank—they baffle me. How can you forget that you have ice cream in your freezer? How can you not be sure about the status of your candy drawer? Look at your life, look at your choices. Don’t you think a little more care should be taken when dealing with such important matters?
I’ve been thinking about this because this brownie bread pudding recipe is probably best suited for those perplexing folks in the first camp—the kind of people who can just let a batch of brownies sit, forgotten and undisturbed, in their kitchen until they’re a little past their prime. Bread pudding is the savior of the stale baked good, making old things new again and turning mediocre bread into a truly fabulous dessert.
This brownie bread pudding is based on the same concept—old, leftover brownie chunks are combined with an almond-scented custard, tossed with chocolate chunks, and then baked into a fabulously rich, intensely chocolatey dish. The perfect repurposing of stale brownies, right?
But let’s be real. Never has a brownie been allowed to stale in my kitchen. NOT ON MY WATCH. So I made a whole batch of brownies just to turn them into brownie bread pudding. And I regret nothing.
Now, if you are one of those dessert-neglecting weirdos, you can definitely make this with whatever leftover brownies are inexplicably not being eaten at your house. However, I must suggest that you avoid any brownies that are super dense or fudgy. This bread pudding is really rich as it is, and using an ultra-truffley brownie will only compound that fact, and might also lead to a really heavy texture. I used a brownie that straddles the line between cakey and fudgy (the always-reliable King Arthur Flour recipe) and it was perfect. Light enough to not produce a gut bomb, but tender and full of enough chocolate flavor to give the dish a really wonderful taste and texture.
Oh, and did I mention that brownie bread pudding looks like a horrific accident when you bake it? Because it does. Mark my words, you don’t want to skip out on garnishing this thing. Cover that sucker up with whipped cream or ice cream, stat!
Aaaah, much better.
Also, this brownie bread pudding is rich. It is Kimye’s wedding-style rich. You’ll want to serve it in small portions, maybe with some fresh berries to cut through all the chocolate goodness. You can either bake it in a large 9×13-inch pan, and scoop individual portions into bowls, or bake them in miniature ramekins so everyone gets their own single-size serving. I split the difference and baked it in a variety of smaller containers. I love the look of a larger serving dish, but I think for any sort of dinner party situation, I’d go with individual ramekins—it’s just a little neater and cuter.
This is definitely a dessert for serious chocoholics only, but if you fall into that category? Oh, mama. You will love it. You’re welcome, and I’m sorry.
So tell me—do you share my impeccable sugar radar, or are you mysteriously immune to the lure of sugar in the house? And if you are, what is your secret?
🍮More Dessert Recipes
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Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Brownie Bread Pudding
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- 4 large eggs
- 3.75 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/4 cups, sifted after measuring
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder, optional, deepens the chocolate flavor
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz unsalted butter, 1 cup
- 8.75 oz granulated sugar, 1 1/4 cup
- 7.5 oz brown sugar, 1 cup lightly packed
- 6.25 oz all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups
- 9 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups
For the Bread Pudding:
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
For the Garnish:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- Fresh berries, optional
- Chocolate shavings, or other garnishes, optional
Instructions
To Make the Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil so that it extends up the sides, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the eggs, cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso, and vanilla in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat everything together on medium-low speed until combined, then raise the speed to medium and beat until smooth.
- Combine the butter and both sugars in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir while the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Continue to heat and stir until it is shiny, and bubbles start to appear along the sides of the pan, but don’t bring it to a boil.
- Pour the hot butter/sugar mixture into the mixing bowl with the eggs and cocoa, and mix until well-combined. Finally, add the flour and mix it in on medium speed until just a few streaks remain. Add the chocolate chips and finish stirring them in by hand, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is well-incorporated.
- Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake at 350 F for 27-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the brownies cool completely before proceeding with the bread pudding recipe. Brownies can be made in advance and kept at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days, or frozen for several weeks.
To Make the Bread Pudding:
- Cut the brownies into small cubes (less than 1″ is ideal) and place them in a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray a 9x-13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. (You can also use a combination of smaller pans, just be prepared to watch them carefully while baking.)
- Crack the eggs into the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and whisk on low speed until the eggs are broken up. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, the cinnamon, salt, sugar, milk, and cream, and mix on low until everything is well-mixed.
- Pour the custard over the brownie pieces in the bowl, tossing gently to coat. Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl and toss everything together a few times so it’s well-mixed. Scoop the brownie bread pudding into the prepared pan and arrange it into an even layer.
- Bake the bread pudding at 350 F for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the pan(s) you use. The bread pudding is done when it’s golden around the edges, crunchy on top, and the pudding barely jiggles in the center of the pan—it should feel almost set.
- Let the bread pudding cool at room temperature until it is warm but no longer hot. If made in advance, try to reheat it before serving, because this is one dessert that really shines when eaten warm.
To Finish:
- Whip together the cream and powdered sugar until they form medium peaks. Top the still-warm brownie bread pudding with a big spoonful of whipped cream and any other garnishes of your choice, like chocolate curls or fresh berries. This bread pudding is also excellent with ice cream or crème anglaise!
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Oh, I know EXACTLY where the danger zones are. Right now I have pepitas, almonds (healthy and all, but not in the quantities I eat), and a “baking” chocolate bar that mysteriously doubles so well as an “eating” chocolate bar. So, yeah, I feel you!
I’m thinking you supplied me with a new brownie recipe. I’ve been looking for one that isn’t quite as dense as my go-to, and those babies look perfect.
Okay, I was going to quibble about pepitas and almonds being not junky enough to qualify, but I’ve pounded back enough quantities of nuts in my day to realize that they can definitely be dangerous. You’re in the club! Also, let me know what you think about the KAF recipe–you might like it!
Looks amazing, but yeah, I would have to make a pan of brownies just for this. Brownies never sit around and get stale at my house.
I feel like “stale brownies” might actually be a myth, like unicorns or something. Has anyone ever seen them in the wild??
I just found this post due to having stale brownies. I know shocker right! I happened to bake a batch with my son and then another for myself and the 3 of us couldn’t eat them all before they went stale. Usually I do big baking batches and freeze but this time I forgot. Now I am baking the brownie pudding in my oven and hoping I did it right not being a measuring cup person (from the UK) and using stale brownies (only 6 of them).
Kate, how did it turn out?? Inquiring minds need to know. 🙂
Sometimes Brownies overcook… Gasp, I know, right? But I’d never trash a pan of Brownies ina million years, hence looking this up. I honestly may have to make a second batch anyway just because my house choked down almost half the first batch, overcooked or not! (They still complained they we’re dry, while eating them…)
Oh my goodness – I have no idea what it’s like to be one of those people that have no idea if they have something sweet lying around the house or not. I start shaking when I break into my last chocolate stash because I am not sure if it will last until my next trip to the store, ha. Even though leftover brownies are a new concept to me, I am willing to give it a go just so I can make this mind-blowing Brownie Bread Pudding. So good!
Haha, it’s always best to have a backup secret candy stash, just in case the regular candy stash runs out, right? Thanks Kathi!
You are too funny! I don’t know how people forget about desserts either! But good to know you can always turn day-old brownies into this delicious bread pudding 🙂
Riiiight…like either one of us would have day-old brownies around. 🙂
This looks amazing..I love love love it! Did I say I love it? This is super genius 🙂 YUM!! xoxo
Thanks so much, Johlene!
This just popped up in my Facebook feed, and can I just say “OMG”. I’m serious, I want to move next door to you!
Would you?! That would be excellent–we would have the best dessert parties!
I have insane sugar radar. It’s bad. I can find candy even when there’s *suposedly* no candy to be found. And are there really people out there that don’t have a candy drawer? We have a giant white bowl called, “The Candy Stash”, and I can tell you what’s in it right now without even looking: an old fortune cookie (poor thing always gets passed over, but I leave it there for sentimentality), about 12 old mini-chocolate eggs (been meaning to throw those out), 6 or so mini bags of skittles, a couple bags of shark bite fruit snacks, some mini Mr. Goodbars, and some strange white chocolate truffle cookie things that aren’t worth my calories.
Oh! and the bread pudding!!! DANG, Girl. You know I’m a chocolate LUH-VUH. And you hit the nail on the head when you wondered who the heck has old brownies laying around. Not I. Brownies NEVER go stale around here. I might do a double batch once though, and hide a bit for this because – WOW.
Haha, I like your style, girl! That is a seriously impressive recital of deliciousness you have going on. (Well, maybe not the fortune cookie…but the rest sound good.) You are a woman after my own heart!
Issue number 1: left over brownie? What’s that?!?! This recipe will require a 2nd batch of brownies.
Sometimes I put left over brownies or cake in the freezer for later use. That way the temptation is not there (or I have to know 8 hours in advance that I will have an impending craving!).
Lisa, I do the same thing! The problem is that some brownie recipes are totally edible even when frozen, and so it’s not enough of a deterrant!
Yesss I so feel your pain on the point of people “forgetting” desserts. My family does that all the time. You do not want to know how long we let storebought ice cream fester in the freezer…gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. Much more soothing to my jimmies to think about that bread pudding. Loving that garnish, tis the savoir of all varieties of unphotogenic desserts!
Oh my gosh, you come from a family of dessert-forgetters! Sounds painful!
I’m totally in the second group of people!! 😉 And brownie bread pudding?! You are a genius!! It looks crazy good!
Thanks Jocelyn! I knew you would get me, girl!