Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding (Allergy friendly)

I used to be the kind of person who would ask for the dessert menu first so that I could see if I needed to save room for dessert after my meal.  Those years have sadly passed as I have gotten older and cannot eat as much as I used to. Those were the days!

A couple weeks ago, while we were in Michigan, my husband and I got a recommendation to a restaurant in Muskegan, Michigan. This restaurant was fairly new but was amassing a favorable reputation in the restaurant community. As we walked in, I noticed a large blackboard listing the specials of the night. One of those items listed, the maple glazed bread pudding caught my eye and I knew that I would need to save room for dessert on this night. Bread pudding holds a special place in my heart because it is a dessert my Dad and I would make for our late night snack as we watched our nightly Twilight Zone episode. I was not disappointed; it was heaven on a plate. It was so good that before I knew it, I had barely saved any for my husband.

Since it is Fall and pumpkins are everywhere you look, I decided to make a bread pudding with pumpkin in it and added some chocolate for an extra bit of sweetness.  Like all my other recipes, My Allergy Friendly Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe is made without any dairy, eggs or nuts.

Allergy Friendly Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding

6 cups bread cubes (I used day old French bread)

1 cup  rice milk

1 cup organic pumpkin puree

1/2 cup brown sugar plus ¼ cup for later

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt                         

1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips (raisins as an alternative)

2 tsp. maple syrup

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8x8 baking pan.

In a medium mixing bowl combine rice milk, pumpkin puree, ½ cup brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and other spices until mixed well. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the pumpkin mixture until the bread is well-coated. Add the chocolate chips. Let sit for 5-10 minutes so the bread can soak up the mixture.

Place in your prepared baking dish and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. Combine the remaining ¼ brown sugar and the maple sugar and spread on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is lightly browned then let the pudding sit for a few minutes before cutting it up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. It serves 6-8 and is best served warm.