Chocolate-Hazelnut Bread Pudding

From America's Test Kitchen Season 12: Slow-Cooker Revolution

Getting the texture of this company-worthy dessert—Nutella bread pudding—just right was the real challenge; early tests yielded mushy or dry bread puddings, not the creamy and moist texture we were after. After extensive testing of different types of bread, we settled on challah for its rich flavor. We cut it into cubes, which we toasted until dry before combining them with our custard (a combination of egg yolks, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla). Pressing the bread into the custard ensured every cube soaked up its share. We loved the addition of chocolate chips, which added a chocolaty boost that the Nutella couldn’t without adding too much sweetness. Once cooked, the chocolate chips melted and added a decadent gooeyness that had tasters diving in for seconds. After four hours in the slow cooker, we had an easy-to-prepare bread pudding that rivaled our oven versions.

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The rich hazelnut and cocoa flavor of Nutella inspired this gooey, over-the-top dessert.