• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Soulfully Made logo

  • RECIPE INDEX
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Valentine's
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Valentine's
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Soulfully Made » Desserts » Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

    Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

    Nikki Lee Published:September 24, 2018 | Updated: August 17, 2021

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

    Recipe Save Saved!

    Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding is a decadent dessert made with butter, cream, brown sugar, apples, pecans, challah bread, cinnamon, and bourbon. They all add up to a most delicious sweet treat! And I haven't even gotten to the sauce! Keep reading you won't be sorry!

    A pot of this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe with a slice missing

    *This post is sponsored in conjunction with AppleWeek . I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

    Fall baking is one of my favorite times of the year! Isn't it a season all to itself?? Well, if not I am declaring it one!

    So you have to realize how giddy I became when this Swiss Diamond Cast Iron was laid on my doorstep! If you have been following along you know how much I love to cook in cast iron. And this, my friends, is one gorgeous pan. The quality is amazing and have you gotten a look at this brilliant blue color??

    I just could not wait to debut my new pan for Apple Week! I knew just the thing to christen this bad boy! Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding!

    Easy Bread Pudding

    Bread Pudding is really a very classic dish. Cubed bread and a custard (Eggs and Milk/Cream) are the base of this dessert. You can change the flavors by incorporating spices, nuts, fruits, and in this case a little bourbon.

    I cannot express how easy bread pudding really is to make. It does take a few simple steps to bring it together, but it really isn't rocket science, like you may think! So, do not let this dish intimidate you! If I can make so can you!

    And let me say you will be so glad you did!

    How to make Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

    It really is best to start by getting organized. Gather your ingredients, so you will have everything right at your fingertips for each step.

    the ingredients for this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe in an arrangement of bowls on a wooden cutting board

    First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then start creating your base. Mix the milk, cream, and vanilla in a large bowl. Then cube up your bread and let it soak in the mixture and come to room temperature,

    A bowl of torn day-old white bread cubes for this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe

    Second head over to the stove and place your Cast Iron Skillet over medium-high heat. Get that butter melted. Whisk in your brown and white sugar until well combined. Remove it from the heat and let it cool off for a minute or two.

    Whisking together the butter and sugars for this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe

    Third   At this point, I like to temper the eggs with a little bit of the butter mixture. That just means pour a little of the warmer butter mixture into the eggs and whisk before you add them back into the pan of sugar and butter mixture.

    Slowly whisk in those (room temperature) eggs and then 4 tablespoons of the bourbon. Followed by the apples, cinnamon, and ½ cup of pecans.

    The bourbon pecan apple mixture in a cast iron skillet for this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe

    At this point, the kitchen is smelling heavenly! But it only gets better! Pour in the bread mixture into the skillet and stir it all together until well combined.

    Now sprinkle on the rest of the pecans and the turbinado sugar! This just gives the top some extra crunch!

    A close up of the wet ingredients for this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe before it is cooked

    It is ready for the oven. Cover with a lid (or foil) and bake for 55 minutes. Then remove the lid or foil and bake for about 15 more minutes, until it is golden brown and a wooden pick comes out clean when placed in the center.

    While it is finishing off those last 15 minutes, it's time to make the SAUCE!

    A close up of this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe after it is browned and cooked through

    BREAD PUDDING SAUCE

    Bread pudding is known for being served with a sauce! Many are made with a rum sauce, but in this case, we are using Bourbon! It gives it such a smooth flavor and pairs so well with the apples and pecans.

    The sauce is made with powdered sugar, melted butter, and bourbon. Mixed until smooth (I use a whisk or fork). Add in the cream and mix again until smooth! SIMPLE RIGHT? But it is DIVINE!

    If you are opposed to the bourbon, you can omit it and add in water or milk to get the desired thickness.

    Pour the sauce over the Apple Pecan Bread Pudding. I usually only pour about half and reserve the rest to drizzle over individual servings. But you can pour it all on as well!

    A close up of this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe after it has cooked topped with the glaze

    SERVING BOURBON BREAD PUDDING

    Bread pudding can be served warm or at room temperature. However, I think it is best served warm! There is just something about a warm bite with that sauce! YUM!

    Store leftovers in the refrigerator covered for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You may want to slice it into individual servings and freeze them. Then thaw and enjoy!

    A slice of this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding on a white plate with a silver spoon

     

    5 Fabulous Apple Recipes

    • Apple Butter Cheesecake Tart
    • Instant Pot Apple Butter
    • Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
    • Apple Pecan Sticky Bun Bites
    • Fried Green Apples
    A pot of this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe with a slice missing

    Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

    Author: Nikki Lee
    4.91 from 22 votes
    Bourbon Apple Pecan Bread Pudding is a decadent dessert made with butter, cream, brown sugar, apples, pecans, challah bread, cinnamon, and bourbon. They all add up to a most delicious sweet treat! 
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Save Saved! Pin Recipe Rate
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
    Course Desserts
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 554 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Bread Pudding

    • 1 20 ounce challah loaf, cubed
    • 2 cups milk
    • 2 cups heavy cream, (or 4 cups half & half)
    • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¾ cup butter
    • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • 4 large eggs, beaten lightly
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 4 tbsps bourbon
    • 1 large apple, chopped, (I use a sweet but firm apple)
    • ¾ cup chopped pecans, divided
    • 2 tablespoon turbinado sugar

    Bourbon Sauce

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ¼ cup butter, melted
    • 2 tablespoon bourbon
    • ½ cup heavy cream

    Instructions
     

    Bread Pudding

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • In a large combine milk, cream, and vanilla. Add in cubed bread and gently combine until coated. Let sit at room temperature.
    • In a 12 inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar and white sugar until combined. Remove from heat.
    • Whisk in eggs (you can temper in a little of the butter mixture first) and 4 tablespoon bourbon until combined. Add in apples, cinnamon, and ½ cup pecans, and stir.
    • Pour in bread mixture and fold in until combined.
    • Sprinkle on remaining ¼ cup pecans and turbinado sugar. Cover with lid or foil.
    • Bake for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown about 15 minutes. Inserting a wooden pick or cake tester in the center and be sure it comes out clean. 

    Bourbon Sauce

    • In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoon bourbon until smooth. Whisk in heavy cream until smooth. Drizzle sauce on top of warm bread pudding and serve immediately while warm.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 1 serving Calories: 554 kcal Carbohydrates: 42 g Protein: 6 g Fat: 41 g Saturated Fat: 23 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 15 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 162 mg Sodium: 185 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 38 g

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    A close up of this bourbon apple pecan bread pudding recipe for Pinterest
    « Apple Pecan Sticky Bun Bites
    Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      RATE THIS RECIPE




    1. Jennifer says

      September 22, 2021 at 1:18 pm

      5 stars
      First of all I love me a thick slice of bread pudding but the bourbon put it way in the stratosphere!

      Reply
      • Nikki Lee says

        September 22, 2021 at 3:50 pm

        I love it too! The bourbon and the apples are so good together!

        Reply
    2. Erin says

      September 19, 2021 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      This bread pudding is the stuff dreams are made of. I requested it for my birthday (in place of a traditional cake) and OH MY WORD. We'll be making this again and again.

      Reply
    3. Michaela Kenkel says

      September 14, 2021 at 9:02 am

      5 stars
      This is in my oven right now, and it smells heavenly! I can't wait to eat it!

      Reply
    4. Rhonda Pearce says

      December 23, 2020 at 7:45 pm

      I don’t have access to challah bread where I live. Do you think this will be ok with French?

      Reply
      • Nikki Lee says

        December 24, 2020 at 8:19 am

        Yesh french bread will work also! Enjoy Rhonda!

        Reply
    5. Tom says

      November 14, 2018 at 8:41 pm

      How much butter for step 3 of making the pudding? Your recipe ingredients list does not state.

      Reply
      • Nikki - Soulfully Made says

        November 15, 2018 at 3:39 am

        3/4 cup of butter. Thanks for letting me know I have that corrected.

        Reply
    6. Jan Thomas says

      September 30, 2018 at 2:31 pm

      No bourbon for me, but it looks divine! Thank you for sharing at our apple celebration of Celebrate 365 Blog Party!

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 30, 2018 at 5:05 pm

        LOL! I don't drink it but it I think it is wonderful in recipes! Thanks for the link up to celebrate apples!

        Reply
    7. Carlee says

      September 28, 2018 at 10:27 pm

      Holy moly does that ever look good! My dad is a big bread pudding fan and I can't wait to make this for him! (Of course I'll have to help it eat it, it's only right!)

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 29, 2018 at 12:54 pm

        It really is delicious! The bourbon gives it a great flavor! Absolutely, he def can't have it alone 😉 !

        Reply
    8. Wendy Klik says

      September 24, 2018 at 9:30 pm

      You had me at bourbon.

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 25, 2018 at 7:45 am

        LOL! 😉 It is so tasty in baking and cooking too! I really love it with apples!

        Reply
    9. Amanda says

      September 24, 2018 at 2:27 pm

      5 stars
      Omg this looks amazing. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts!

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 25, 2018 at 7:46 am

        Thank you so much Amanda! It's one of mine too! The sauce on this is so delish!

        Reply
    10. Sue Ringsdorf says

      September 24, 2018 at 9:30 am

      5 stars
      I want to dive right into this bread pudding like NOW!! Perfect for apple week and all the apple lovers like me. 🙂

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 24, 2018 at 11:43 am

        Sue go right ahead my friend! I don't blame you a bit! I am so enjoying all the recipes this week celebrating all things apple! Perfect way to kick off fall!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome Y'all!

    Hi, I am Nikki. Faith, family, and food are my passions! I'm a Southern cook from Florida who loves sharing food and creating memories around the table with my family and friends. Welcome to my Kitchen where you will find delicious, home-cooked, easy recipes!

    About Nikki

    Game Day Recipes

    • Slow Cooker Strawberry Jalapeno BBQ Meatballs
    • Touchdown Turtle Brownie Bites
    • Southern Pimento Cheese
    • Dill Pickle Dip Recipe
    • Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts (Spicy or Plain)
    • Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Dip
    • Slow Cooker BBQ Little Smokies
    • Baked Reuben Sandwich Sliders

    Valentine's Day Recipes

    • Heart Snack Cake Valentine's Day Dip
    • Red Velvet Brownies Recipe
    • Red Velvet Brownie Cups
    • Strawberry Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail
    • No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait
    • Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
    • Whipped Feta Dip with Figs, Nuts, and Honey
    • Strawberry Sugar Scrub
    Browse All Recipes

    As seen on

    soulfully made as seen on brands

    Footer

    ⇧ Back to Top

    About

    Meet Nikki ・ Privacy Policy ・Contact ・Collaborate Accessibility Statement

    Connect

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Mail
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Subscribe

    Subscribe for Newsletter & Updates

    Soulfully Made is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites at no cost to you.

    Copyright © 2023 Soulfully Made