PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BREAD PUDDING WITH CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE

So in the summer of last year I ended up getting a very nasty sinus infection. Which essentially destroyed some nerves in my nose. I lost my sense of smell for a couple months and when it started to return I ended up with the loss of tasting sweet. Its been great for the waistline, but terrible for any creative baking. Hubby has become a huge source of taste testing for me. After just over a year, I can finally eat slightly more savoury sweets like pumpkin pie (no whip cream) or peanut butter or cinnamon based dishes.

I had a loaf of homemade bread to use up and thought I’d check into a cinnamon bread pudding. Then it came to mind that PUMPKIN bread pudding would be even better. And it is.

I took a base recipe I found for bread pudding and kicked it up a few notches. Know the pumpkin muffins with cream cheese centers from StarBucks? Those were the inspiration. So in went cream cheese chunks, nuts, a bit more spices, and the cream cheese drizzle. Which is so good I plan on using it for my No Fruit, Nutty, Christmas Cake.

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• Approx. 5 c French bread cubed
• 1 ½ c heavy cream with ½ c water
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 c granulated sugar
• 2/3 c brown sugar
• 15 oz / almost 2 c pumpkin puree
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsn ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 4 oz cold cream cheese cubed (1/2 brick)
• Pumpkin seeds

Instructions

• Baking PAM spray a large casserole dish
• In a bowl, cover the torn bread with the half-and-half; set aside
• Once soaked up, toss in pecan halves
• In another bowl, blend eggs, sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, spices
• Pour pumpkin mixture over soaked bread and stir to blend
• Mix in cubed cream cheese
• Pour mixture into casserole dish
• Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds
• Bake at 375° for 45 (or until set)