Bread and Butter Pudding Cookies
Bread and butter pudding is a classic, so it had to become a cookie. I wanted to incorporate bread without frying it or using breadcrumbs, so I came up with an oven-baked French toast. The bread is soaked in instant custard and seasoned with nutmeg for that faux-baked feel and a bit of crunch.
Makes 16
Soaking Time 1 hour
Hands-on Time 30 minutes plus chilling (overnight)
Baking Time 51 minutes
Ingredients
3 teabags
500ml boiling water
200g sultanas
100g + 2 tbsp custard powder
175g + 2 tbsp caster sugar
250ml full-fat milk
4 tsp vanilla extract
4 thick slices of bread
4 tsp demerara sugar
¼ tsp + pinch of ground nutmeg
250g unsalted butter (softened)
200g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
300g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp fine salt
Equipment
Bowl
Baking sheet (ideally aluminium)
Baking parchment
Wide-shallow bowl
Whisk
Knife
Freestanding mixer with paddle attachment
Spatula
Method
1. Soak the sultanas
Brew the teabags in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove the teabags and add the sultanas. Soak for at least 1 hour.
2. Prepare the custard toast
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Mix 2 tbsp custard powder, 2 tbsp caster sugar, milk, and 2 tsp vanilla extract in a wide-shallow bowl.
Dip each bread slice into the mixture, coating both sides. Place on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg and 2 tsp demerara sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, flip, sprinkle with the remaining sugar, and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Make the cookie dough
In a freestanding mixer, beat the butter, light brown sugar, and 175g caster sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and the eggs, mixing briefly to combine.
Add the flour, 100g custard powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides with a spatula.
Squeeze the sultanas and fold them into the dough along with the chopped custard toast.
4. Shape and bake the cookies
Shape the dough into a log, wrap in parchment, and chill for 30 minutes.
Slice the dough into 16 equal rounds, roll into balls, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill overnight.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Bake 6–8 cookies at a time, spaced 10cm apart, for 16 minutes.
Let the cookies rest for a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
