Apple Brioche Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy Caramel Sauce

This Apple Brioche Bread Pudding is the perfect Autumn comfort food. Buttery Brioche bread and sweet apples are baked together with warming spices then served with a rich Apple Brandy Caramel Sauce.

A Small but Thankful Bunch

This year, Thanksgiving dinner at our house will be celebrated by a small, but jolly group. Our oldest son moved out in February and we dropped our daughter off at UBC at the end of August. That leaves hubby, myself, and our youngest son who receives the benefit of our full, undivided attention. I like to joke that with the others gone, I get to ‘mom’ him extra hard! Come to think of it, he’s had it fairly easy being the baby of the family and I know that he’s learned to use this to his full advantage.

I really don’t know what I’ll do when our nest officially becomes ’empty’. I suppose that’s when dinner parties with friends begin to happen more often and that’s okay too.

A Wonderful Bed and Breakfast in the Okanagan

Our late summer trip to UBC led us through the Okanagan. There, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary by wining and dining our way through the Naramata Bench. We stayed at a really wonderful B & B run by a senior Italian couple who fed us unbelievable multi course breakfasts. Since we were the only guests during our stay, we had their undivided attention. I loved spending the time with them, visiting and talking about food. They gave us  tours of their vineyard and garden.

By the end of our visit, it dawned on my that they didn’t run the B & B to make money, but that they truly enjoyed having someone to feed and talk to. They were lonely.  Sure, they have friends and a supportive community, but nothing takes the place of family. We really felt like family by the time we left their B & B. I always refer to them as ‘nonno and nonna’ when I tell people about the experience.

After we had settled our daughter into her university residence and drove away, I could physically feel my daughter getting farther and farther away. I counted the kilometres and the time it would take to rush back, if only I had received a text or that said we had forgotten to drop all of her belongings off. If only to go back for just one more hug.

We spent the night at the most hospitable halfway point, my sister’s house in Vernon. The next day we visited the local Farmer’s Market on our way out of town. I picked up many fruits and vegetables before I realized that I would need far less with her gone.  I still bought a box of fresh picked honey crisp apples because at 50 cents a pound I just couldn’t leave them behind. The boys and I have done a good job of eating them, but they are getting a bit squidgy and I need to use them up.

How Do You Use up Squidgy Apples?

I find the best way to use a squidgy apple up is to bake with it. In this Apple Brioche Bread Pudding recipe, I take the classic bread pudding and add layers and layers of apples and spice. Then I top it off with a bit of Apple Brandy Caramel Sauce. The Apple Brandy is a locally made autumn treat, the first of it’s kind from our local Eau Claire Distillery. It gives just a tiny bit of smoky flavour to the caramel sauce.

Do you find that cooking with apples can be a bit tedious with all that peeling, coring, and slicing? I don’t know how I’ve survived until now without this pampered chef gadget to help me out. This is not an ad…and really, do we all really need more gadgets? I would usually say no, but when I saw this gadget at the local thrift store, I couldn’t pass up the deal. I paid $7.99 instead of $46…and it was so worth it! Next up…apple pie!

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Apple Brioche Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy Caramel Sauce

If you make this Apple Brioche Bread Pudding recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in the ratings. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!