Dulce de Leche-Chocolate-Banana Bread Pudding

This was SOOOOO good!  Ask one of my neighbors.  I shared some with her :)  This was a great find in the March 2013 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine.  I love bananas.  And bread pudding.  And dulce de leche...and it was a winner, indeed.  I didn't even have ice cream to serve with it, but I should have.  It would have been over the top!  Enjoy!

Dulce de Leche-Chocolate-Banana Bread Pudding

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 loaf (14 to 16 oz) challah or brioche
• 1 cup store-bought dulce de leche (I used La Lechera canned)
• 1 pinch salt (I just used my sea salt grinder and did a pinch on each piece)
• 1 very ripe large banana, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 1/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups plus 3 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Coat an 8-inch glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp butter.  Trim the ends off the bread load, then slice the loaf crosswise into 10 slices, about 3/4 inch thick.  Using 1/2 cup dulce de leche, spread a thin layer on half of the bread slices.  Sprinkle with the salt; top with the banana slices.  Sprinkle one-third of the chocolate on top, then cover with the remaining bread slices to form sandwiches.  Cut each sandwich into 3 triangles.  Arrange the pieces in the prepared dish, placing some flat and others on their crust edge to create a craggy top.  (Really squish them all in there and create more sandwiches if needed)  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the bread.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar.  Whisk in 2 cups milk and the vanilla.  Pour the milk mixture over the bread in the dish.  Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter and drizzle over the top.  Let stand for 1 hour or chill for up to 12 hours.  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.  Bake the bread pudding until it puffs up and is springy in the center, 45 to 55 minutes (if the bread pudding was chilled, bake for an extra 5 to 10 minutes).  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup dulce de leche with the remaining 3 tbsp milk over medium heat until smooth and beginning to bubble, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a small pitcher.  Cut the bread pudding into squares or scoop it with a spoon.  Serve in bowls with ice cream and the dulce de leche sauce.

Heavenly, Reduced-Fat Banana Pudding

You may be asking yourself HOW can the words "heavenly" and "reduced-fat" be in the same sentence as banana pudding.  Well, I'm telling you...they CAN!  And you won't want to miss this.  It does not, I repeat, DOES NOT taste like it is reduced-fat.  But keep that in mind as you go back for seconds and wrap your lips around this delicious morsel.  You won't be able to help yourself...I promise.  Making this recipe reduced-fat was actually pretty easy.  It's all a matter of switching out the ingredients for a light, fat-free, or even sugar-free version.  And no one will be the wiser...it is that decadent!  Enjoy!

Heavenly Reduced-Fat Banana Pudding

• Reduced fat Nilla Wafers
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1 small package sugar free, fat free instant vanilla pudding
• 1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 8-oz package Cool Whip Lite

Line a dish with Nilla wafers.  Prepare pudding according to package directions, except use 1/2 cup less milk so it is not too runny. (I typically use 1% milk) Mix remaining ingredients with the prepared pudding.  Fold in the bananas.  Pour over the wafers and chill until ready to serve.

*You can alternately layer the banana slices on top of the wafers and pour the pudding mixture over the top.  Or you can prepare the pudding and present it as a parfait, as I did in the picture above, with alternating layers of the pudding mixture and Nilla wafers.