There are a lot of ways to use up stale bread: turkey stuffing, Panzanella, feeding it to birds and squirrels (because, of course, if you feed it to the former you inevitably also share it with the latter!).

But truly, without exaggeration, I have to tell you that this bread pudding recipe I’m sharing with you today is probably the best re-purposing of stale bread that you will find.

It’s sweet, but not too sugary. It’s substantial, but not heavy. It’s rich, but not obscenely so. And since the custard that the bread soaks in is flavored with instant cocoa, you can even vary the flavor of the pudding to suit your whims.

This is a perfect dessert to serve on a chilly Fall evening.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

3 large eggs
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1-1/4 ounce packet Chocolate and Raspberry Instant Cocoa
1/8 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
6 cups of cubed challah (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, sugar, and half-and-half. Stir in the bread cubes, and let soak in the custard for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 45 minutes until pudding is puffed and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 10-12 servings, and is ideal with either ice cream or whipped cream.

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures in the kitchen. She was thrilled to have her post about Scottish Oatmeal Shortbread named as one of the daily “Best of the Blogs” by the prestigious Food News Journal.

Go visit Mary’s blog — Food Floozie — on which she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related. Her newest feature is Frugal Floozie Friday, seeking fun and food for $5 or less … really! Feel free to email her with questions or comments or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

The phrase “You Should Only Be Happy” (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her … may you always be happy here.