Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Slow Cooker Apple Bread Pudding


Slow Cooker Apple Bread Pudding

Comfort food at its finest! This slow-cooker bread pudding tastes decadent, thanks to its moist texture and a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips. So go ahead and enjoy—it’s actually lower in fat than you’d expect.

6 cups crusty bread (such as French bread or a baguette), cut into 1/2-inch pieces (preferably a day old)
2 medium-size tart apples, peeled, cored and shredded
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup fat-free egg product or 4 large eggs
3/4 cup water
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, preferably low in fat
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup apple juice

Directions
step 1: Coat the insert of a large (6-quart) slow cooker with a light application of butter or margarine. Add the bread pieces to the slow cooker. Distribute the shredded apple on top of the bread layer. Then sprinkle the raisins and chocolate chips over the apple.

step 2: In a medium bowl, combine the egg product with the water, condensed milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; whisk to combine. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients in the slow cooker, pressing down with a spoon or a spatula to make sure the liquid ingredients completely moisten the bread.

step 3: Cover the insert and cook on the low setting 3 to 4 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center of the bread pudding comes out clean. Begin checking the pudding after 3 hours, and continue to cook for increments of 10 to 15 minutes until the pudding is done.

step 4: While the bread pudding is cooking, make the yogurt sauce in a small bowl by whisking together the yogurt, sugar, apple juice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Refrigerate until needed.

step 5: To serve, spoon the bread pudding onto plates and drizzle with the yogurt sauce.

Notes:

Firm, tart apples are best for this recipe because their flavor isn't overly sweet, and they hold their shape. Look for apple varieties that are good for baking, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Jonathan.

If you prefer to prep the bread pudding in advance, you can assemble the ingredients through Step 2 and refrigerate in the covered slow-cooker insert for up to a day before cooking. Take the pudding out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring it up to room temperature. Then remove the lid and sprinkle the mixture with 1/2 cup of water before replacing the lid on the insert and turning on the slow cooker.

There are variations to this recipes but definitely a way to celebrate fall and all those amazing apple recipes! I haven't personally tried it but sounds amazing.

3 comments:

Heart2Heart said...

Here's a baked version of the same dessert!

I was in a hurry and didn't have time to babysit this in a crock pot, so I baked this in the oven. I also made changes to the recipe, and they are: 1st I figured that I would be using left-overs for breakfast, so I left out the choc.chips. My family preferrs a not-so-sweet bread pudding, so I used low-fat evaporated milk rather than the sweet & condensed milk. I used 4 eggs rather than the egg substitute. I also added a handful of roasted chopped pecans. I greased a 9x13 pan, layered in my bread, apples, raisins and nuts. I mixed all the wet ingredients and the spice until well combined and poured it over the top. I let it sit for 20 minutes to make sure the bread absorbed the wet ingredients. I baked it at 350 for about 45 or 50 minutes until set and cooked thru. My family really liked the yogurt sauce. And yes, the left-overs were great at breakfast!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

This sounds delicious and I love using my crock pot! Thank you.

jules said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am trying to use my crock pot more and this is perfect for this cooler weather.