Hot Chocolate Bread Pudding

It is starting to get colder here in Colorado. Not that I can't deal with the cold it just means that I'm have to start wearing more clothes and thinking about soups instead of salads all the time. The other thing that cold weather does to me is daydream of being by a fire, with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a mug of hot chocolate. Well.... that got me to thinking and then thinking got me to looking online and I found this recipe that I couldn't resist.

This recipe is orginally called Cocoa & Toast Bread Pudding, but after making it I think Hot Chocolate Bread Pudding is even better!

Now that I have you in the mood and my photos have you salivating all over your keyboard below is the recipe.

The Recipe:

Hot Chocolate Bread Pudding

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

16-ounce loaf country bread (I chose a dark bread)

3 1/2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon of salt

4 large eggs

1 mound cup mini marshmallows or however many you want

To Start: Slice the bread into 1" cubes. You want the bread to be dry or toasted so put them in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. Every 10 minutes move them around so that all sides get toasted.

Warm the milk in a med to large saucepan over medium heat. You don't want to boil it or get it hot just warm. Once it is warm turn off the heat and add your cocoa, sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk it all together(I forgot to add salt and it still tastes wonderful, but still put it in there). You can add more cocoa or sugar if you want, but I thought the measurements were really good. Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then whisk in the eggs.

Spray a 9"x9" oven safe baking dish and then fill it with the bread cubes. Push them down as much as you can (I wasn't very successful in this part). Then pour the cocoa milk filling over the top of the bread. Let it sit and soak up the cocoa milk mixture while you preheat the oven to 325°F. After a few minutes I rotated a few of the bread cubes and pushed bread down to soak up more of the liquid. The orginal recipe mentioned covering and refrigerating for at least an hour or overnight (yeah... I missed that step too so is up too you who you want to follow).

Place in the oven and cook for 45 to 55 minutes. I'm at high altitude so it was perfect at 45 minutes. You want it to the point where you can insert a knife and only a little bit of the chocolate mixture is left on the knife.

Remove the dish from the over and set your oven to BROIL. Sprinkle or place your mini marshmallows over the top of the bread pudding. Move your oven rack closer to the broiler but not too close. Place your dish in the oven and with the oven door still open watch the marshmallows until they are a toasted to a color of your preference.

Let it cool and then enjoy!