Blueberry Coconut Bread Pudding
After this chaotic weekend, I am simultaneously happy and extremely disappointed that I played the nice office admin and gave the rest of this delicious dish to my coworkers. It will all become clear shortly… Friday afternoon I got the call from Ben he would be coming home for the long weekend, including his birthday, and not only would he be coming home – but that as he called he was already on his way home.
If you heard a girl shrieking with excitement around 12:32pm last Friday, that was me. Yeah, I was that thrilled. It had only been 2 months since we’d been able to spend a full weekend together. NBD.
But whilst the girls and I were out at happy-houring-it-up and I was sitting on tenterhooks (a la Scarlet O’Hara) waiting on Ben and sipping a gin and tonic, I got a text message that said “i think im broke down”.
If you heard a girl scream in panic about 4:17 that same afternoon, that was me.
It was a about a perfect time as any for me since there were five plates of happy hour fare in front of me, and I could eat my weight in feelings and panic. And about that time I wish I had the rest of this pan at home so I could eat my weight in bread pudding feelings.
Classy, I am.
As I called Ben frantically, and was only able to get through to him via text message the lovely woman from AllState and I played phone tag relay between her, myself and Ben to get him towed to the nearest town on a holiday weekend coordinating between Washington State and Maryland. Not an easy task with a stressed fiance, a poor helpless insurance call center operator and me – the eating-my-feelings-paniced-hot-mess. You can’t write funnier stuff than this.
Thankfully Beka and Jackie were there to shove another tonic in my hands, order me a plate of bacon wrapped prawns and formulate a plan to get me to Ben, by way of stopping for a dozen cupcakes so I could continue to eat my feelings as they drove me up the mountain to get him and start my weekend. This is what real friends do.
An hour later we were there, rescuing the Ben – cracking him a beer to drown the worries of a broken pick up and blown (possible) head gasket. Worked like a charm. There is nothing better than these two girls to make everything right in the world – Glee sing-a-longs, cupcakes and rescuing my fiance – for the win.
Now – for the recipe. As I went into work on Thursday I decided it was best to remove the remaining pan of this bread pudding from my house and share it with my coworkers. Just in case Ben wasn’t able to make it home this weekend (which clearly he did) I didn’t want it languishing in my fridge ready for me to pounce on it like a rapid hyena in case I needed to unhinge my jaw and shovel it into my mouth to stomp out the sads if he was forced to work a 9th weekend in a row and I couldn’t see him.
Are you seeing a trend? I eat feelings for breakfast. I am that girl. Don’t act like you haven’t done the same.
The blueberries speckling this bread pudding just scream spring and the coconut adds in a sweet balance to the tart berries. And a tropical note too – which never hurts anybody. And even now as I write about this, I’m almost sad I played the good office admin and took it to them. It sounds really good about now…

Bread pudding and I go way back. My childhood was filled with my mother’s slightly obsession and all out weakness for the dessert which I could only describe as “old people food”. It was a texture thing. But at 13, who really likes what their parents like? From their childhood food favorites to their choice of pleated pants – not much.
Now – 13 years later – I am 26 and luurrrvvee myself some bread pudding. The obvious carb-oholic nature of the dessert just gets me every time.
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Blueberry Coconut Bread Pudding
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
The blueberries speckling this bread pudding just scream spring and the coconut adds in a sweet, tropical balance to the tart berries.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French Bread, cubed
- 1 quart Milk, at least 1%
- 2 cups Sugar
- 5 eggs, whisked
- 2 Tbsp Vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp Coconut Extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
- 2 cups Blueberries
- 1 cup Strawberries, hulled and quartered
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In very large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and coconut extract.
- Place cubed bread into a 13×9 inch pan, making sure to pack as much of it into the pan as possible so that it fits tightly.
- Sprinkle berries in between cubes of bread, moving the pieces out of the way to make sure it is distributed evenly. Sprinkle top with shredded coconut.
- Pour milk/egg mixture over the top of the bread and berries.
- Place into pre-heated oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until the middle is no longer soppy and the milk flows freely. If the top begins to brown too much, loosely tent with aluminum foil. Continue to bake until middle is not jiggly.
- Remove from oven and set on rack to cool. Serve warm or place in fridge and serve cold.
Keywords: easy bread pudding recipe, blueberry bread pudding, best bread pudding recipe
OHHH SNAP! This sounds real-real good {I still need to try this bread pudding stuff you speak of!} I have to get on it!
I love this time of year! BLUEBERRIES!
Seriously, woman? I”m going to come out to you and make you a pan of every variety of bread pudding I know. You must experience bread pudding sometime! Even if I have to bake it for you myself.
I’m so glad you got your weekend with Ben, there can’t be anything worse than getting all excited about him coming home and then something getting in the way.
And I’m a totally eat your feelings type of person. This looks dangerous…
Glad I”m not the only “eat my feelings” type. Solidarity in feelings-eating. haha
I’m so glad you got to spend the weekend with Ben and that you were dealing with a mechanical breakdown and not an emotional one 😉 ha!
Bread pudding is one of those things I didn’t like until later in life too. Totally a texture a thing.
Well, with the mechanical breakdown I was hoping to fight off his emotional one. The thought of him spending any amount of money nearly sends him into a panic. He’s too cheap for his own good. But this was pretty bad, so a small emotional breakdown would have been allowable. Poor guy.
What a relief you managed to get together after all!! love you story telling. The blueberry coconut bread pudding looks delectable!
Mary x
Except for the stress of not knowing if Ben would make it home, I’ll take the entire experience – the LNO happy hour, the bacon-wrapped shrimp, the Glee sing-a-longs, the rescue roadtrip AND this gorgeous bread pudding. Since I’m clearly in my crazed-coconut-lover phase, this fits in nicely. I’m thrilled Ben made it home for the weekend. I was fully prepared to ship you a chocolate cake if yet another weekend had been delayed. PS – Beka and Jackie rock, and so does that box of cupcakes.
Those two girls just made the weekend. If it weren’t for them I don’t know what I would have done. A chocolate cake would have been a saving grace otherwise. 🙂 This is yet another reason I totally and whole heartedly adore you Jeanne.
Aw I’m glad you guys were finally able to spend some time together again. I can’t even imagine how you guys are managing. So hard!
It really sucks. We did long distance for 2 1/2 years, lived together this last year when we got engaged and now back to long distance up until the wedding. I’ll be glad when his nursing program starts and he’ll be home for good 🙂
This is so cute! So glad things worked out and that you could see your love!
Thanks Cass. It was so great to see him. I couldn’t have gone another weekend without him. 🙂 Even with the car catastrophe, it was better than not seeing him at all.
So glad you got some time with Ben!! Loving this recipe more than you can imagine… one because I love bread pudding SO much… and two I’m obsessed with coconut and berries right now… actually did a coconut blueberry post today as well!
I’m so on my way over to see your blueberry coconut creation! Hooray for a bread pudding lover!
oh wow, this sounds + looks just amazing. so sorry to hear that the ol’ fiancé had car troubles, but i’m glad you got to spend the weekend together in the end. hope it was a fabulous weekend!
Other than the car catastrophe it was a good weekend. I just missed the time with him. 2 months was too long.
Blueberry and coconut are my favorites. Put them all together in a bread pudding and I’ll probably eat the entire pan. This looks amazing! Sounds like you had a crazy weekend. Glad to hear things worked out for you in the end.
Well with blueberries and coconut in this, it sounds like baked carby destiny! haha
WOW, you rescue him AND bring cupcakes?? No wonder he “Put A Ring On It”!!
Beer, cupcakes, and a girl in shining armor (or a red Focus)
I’ve never been a big fan of bread pudding, but I am a fan of eating your feelings. I usually have mine for lunch! BTW, my hubs would love me forever if I made him bread pudding with berries AND coconut! Perfect combo!
Well, I guess you better make a batch for the hubster, Even if it’s not your cup of tea he’s probably be thrilled to have a whole pan to himself haha
I have yet to try bread pudding, but I must say, you are very convincing! Although I was a little distracted by those cupcakes 🙂
I’m determined to convert the world into bread pudding lovers! You must try it sometime.
I absolutely love bread pudding! I’ve tried strawberry before and absolutely loved it, but I’m sure I’ll love your version 100x more!
I’m glad someone else loves bread pudding, too! Strawberries make everything better. 🙂
I’m glad you were able to save your Ben!! I was following via IG and Twitter 🙂 this bread pudding looks killer. Love that you added blueberries..combination of fresh fruit is awesome!
I tweeted and IG’d the hell out of that ordeal. hahah I didn’t know what else to do haha I’m glad you were such a good sport with me clogging up your twitter and IG feed haha
Glad you got to spend the weekend together! I did the long distance relationship for a couple years before we got married, it sucks!! I totally ate (well eat, because I still do) my feelings!
We did the long distance for 2 1/2 years, then lived together this last year when we got engaged, and now the next few months of long distance so he can work and save money for college…UGH I’m so over it! I want to be married and not let him go!. (But in 15 years, I’ll probably be glad for 2 months away from him LOL)
I still haven’t tried bread pudding yet either…but this is the recipe I want to begin with! I love the blueberries and coconut. As for long distance…ugh. I know it too well. I can imagine how disappointed you were at the breakdown. Thank goodness for best friends (and cupcakes and beer!).
“I eat feelings for breakfast” – it’s like you’re speaking right to my soul. Are we the same person?
Yay for weekends together 🙂 Hubs and I did long distance almost the ENTIRE time we were dating AND engaged. Sucked, but totally worth it when you finally have every day together.
I want those cupcakes nooowwwww!
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