Butter (for greasing baking dish)
1 brioche loaf or 1 package Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (about 12 oz), cut into 1-inch cubes
⅓ -½ Cup chopped pecans or walnuts
¾ Cup, plus ¼ Cup fresh blueberries for garnish
4 large Eggs, beaten
1 ¼ Cup Eggnog
⅓ Cup firmly packed dark Brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1 pinch ground Cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
4 ounces cream cheese, sliced into cubes
3 Tablespoons melted Butter (to be used after baking)
Blueberry Syrup to serve
Butter an 8 x 8 square baking dish.
Mix together, cubed bread, chopped nuts, ¾ cup blueberries, in a large mixing bowl. Place half the mixture into the buttered baking dish. Dot the top with the cubed cream cheese. Add the second half of the bread mixture, making sure to fill in all the gaps.
In the mixing bowl, blend together the beaten eggs, eggnog, vanilla, dark brown sugar, spices, and salt. Evenly pour liquid mixture over the top of cubed bread, fruit and nuts. Dot the top of the bread pudding with the cream cheese.
Gently press down on the cubes with your palms to allow the top layer of bread to absorb the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the bread pudding for about 30-40 minutes or until the cubes are puffed up, nicely browned and there’s no more liquid at the bottom.
Transfer the dish to a rack and drizzle the melted butter on top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to release . Cut into squares. Serve with Blueberry Syrup warmed and drizzled on top; Enjoy!
