This week I’m going to take a break from my usual style of writing to bring a week-long series for New Years Eve. Whether you're hosting an event, or going to one, I hope over the course of the next few days you find something you'd love to make.

I’m kicking this week off with vanilla bean blueberry bread pudding, which is perfect for a brunch event or even for dessert. This pudding is layers of brioche, soaked in a creamy mixture filled with maine blueberries and vanilla beans. It’s also so easy to bring together so it can effortlessly be juggled with your busy day!

Brioche- I love using brioche in my bread pudding recipes because of the taste but any kind works well with this recipe. Whichever bread you decide to go with though make sure it's stale or a few days old this will help soak up the mixture!

‍

Vanilla- You can either scrape a vanilla bean pod's seeds into your milk and egg mixture or just use a bottle of vanilla bean paste. If you don't have access to either though vanilla extract is always a good replacement.

Blueberry syrup- One of the most important components in this recipe is the blueberry syrup, it takes this from a regular bread pudding to sweet fruity goodness. I use Stonewall Kitchen’s Maine Blueberry Syrup, but any will do!

Cream- I use heavy cream as one of my last steps, it’s actually not a part of the egg mixture, instead I mash blueberries and mix it with the heavy cream to pour over the bread mixture right before I set it in the fridge.

Toppings- You can get creative here but I opted for the classic powdered sugar and almonds! I also added blueberries to tie in all the flavors of the bread pudding together. Other good additions may be blueberry compote, vanilla bean ice cream, or creme fraiche.

‍