Apple Bread Pudding

This past weekend, we visited Kansas City (which is where I grew up) to celebrate my Grandpa Frank's 80th birthday.  For dessert on Friday night, my mom and I decided to make one of our favorite fall desserts - apple bread pudding.  It may not look very pretty in picures, but I am telling you.....this is SOOOO GOOD!  It's a great cold weather dessert that's easy to put together, and this one is definitely one of my favorites.  My mom got this recipe years and years ago when her and my dad visited New Orleans.

Ingredients:

Bread Pudding-

1 loaf of slightly stale french bread (the stale bread absorbs the liquid a little better than fresh bread)

1 quart half and half

3 eggs

3 apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups sugar

2-3 tablespoons vanilla extract (depending on how much vanilla you want)

half stick of butter, melted

Cinnamon sugar, to taste

Whiskey Sauce-

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

whiskey to taste (we used a double shot)

Directions:

1.  Cut up your loaf of bread into cubes and place in a 9x13 casserole dish.

2.  Pour half and half over bread cubes and let soak.

3.  Meanwhile, mix together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and apples.

4.  Pour over your bread mixture, and mix through with your hands to make sure everything is distributed.  Then pour the melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until firm.  Here's what our's looked like after baking (again, it doesn't look that pretty but it is sooooo delicious).

6.  Make the whiskey sauce:  In a small saucepan, melt butter and sugar together.  Whip in egg very quickly.  Remove from heat and add in whiskey.  Serve sauce on top of each serving of bread pudding.