I've loved sticky toffee pudding since I first tried it years ago in England.  Since going gluten-free, I've tried a couple experiments, but none of them turned out - until now!  Oh, my goodness, I'm so glad I got over my aversion to chopping up dried dates.  Turns out they are, thankfully, very different to the dried prunes my grandma used to offer me when I was a kid.  When soaked and baked into a sticky toffee pudding, dried dates add the perfect flavor.  I love this toffee sauce, too.  It's much more creamy than an ordinary toffee sauce, so I find it isn't as sweet.  Yum.  Leftovers store perfectly in the refrigerator and heat up perfectly with a bit of sauce drizzled on top.  Enjoy! 

Gluten-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding with Homemade Toffee Sauce on top!

Amazing Sticky Toffee Pudding

Inspired by and partially based on a recipe in the NYTimes.  

Makes a 9 x 13 pan that serves ~12  

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. 

In a bowl, soak for 5-10 minutes: 

1 cup boiling water

1 cup chopped (pitted) dried dates (after chopping, press them into your 1 cup measuring cup so you have a nice, generous amount of dates)

In a food processor, blend together: 

3/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1/2 - 2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Add your soaked dates and the liquid.  Blend just until smooth in the food processor.  

Pour into the buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 F, until nicely set in the middle.  

While the pudding is baking, make the sauce. 

The date pudding, fresh from the oven.  

Toffee Sauce & Topping Recipe

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat together over medium heat, stirring occasionally: 

2 cups/473 ml heavy whipping cream (35%) (lactose-free whipping cream works perfectly, too)

1/2 cup/8 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Heat until mixture is bubbling nicely, and is smooth and even.  Let it bubble for only a minute or two, then remove from heat.  

Toffee sauce, ready to use!

To finish your sticky toffee pudding:

After baking your cake, set oven to broil.  If you have an option, I recommend the broil "low" setting.  

Pour 1/2 of your toffee sauce slowly and evenly over the baked pudding.  

Cake covered with half of the toffee sauce.

Place the cake under the broiler, checking every minute until the top is nice and bubbly and you're just barely starting to see a few brown spots (I recommend checking every minute because some broilers are HOT and some are cooler).   Broiling the top of your sticky toffee pudding should take 2-4 minutes.  

Broiled until bubbling nicely and you're just seeing some browned spots.

Remove from the oven.  Serve warm in a bowl with additional sauce served overtop!  Leftovers can be stored separately (cake in one container, sauce in another).  Serving leftovers into a bowl and heating them up together works perfectly.  Enjoy!!!

This cake slices nicely.  I like to cut nice, even squares to serve.

Serve each square with extra toffee sauce on top.  Yum! Sticky Toffee Pudding at it's best! 

Amazing Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Baked French Toast Style Bread Pudding

This is a perfect recipe for those cold winter days.  It's great for breakfast and as leftovers, too.  I based it off a Pioneer Woman recipe, but tweaked it a little bit - making it not as sweet overall, and a little richer in the pudding aspect.   You can assemble the evening before to bake in the morning, or even make it last minute and just let it soak an hour or so before baking, if you're short on time.  I've preferred this using homemade gluten-free brioche bread, which adds an extra element of richness to make it into a nice bread pudding, in my opinion.  Enjoy!

Fresh french toast style bread pudding - yum! 

Baked French Toast Style Bread Pudding

based on a recipe by the Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman), but I like to cut the sugar way back.

Begin this recipe the evening before you want to bake it.  Or assemble together in the morning if you plan to bake it in the evening.  You really do want it to rest in the refrigerator for a good 8 hours.  However, you can mix and let it rest just an hour or so before baking and it will still turn out quite well. 

In a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish, spread evenly:
1 - 1 1/2 loaves GF brioche bread OR GF bread of your choice, torn or cut into large chunks

In a large bowl, whisk together:
2 1/2 cups half & half (lactose-free works great - similar dairy-free creamers will work, too)
8-10 large eggs
scant 1/4 cup white sugar
scant 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste (the little vanilla flecks will sink to the bottom, but I love the taste)

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread.  Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

In a large bowl, chop together with a pastry cover the following topping: *You can mix together the topping now and refrigerate in a ziploc bag until you're ready to bake, or prepare right before you place it in the oven. 
1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/3 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
dash nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, chilled

Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator 30 - 45 minutes before you plan to bake and place on the stove-top or counter.  You don't want to put a cold glass or ceramic dish directly into the hot oven, since there's a chance it could crack. 

Brioche bread after soaking, ready to bake! 

Topped with the crumble topping just before baking.

Sprinkle the chill butter/sugar/flour topping mixture over the top of the bread.  Bake the entire tray at 350 F for 45 - 60 minutes.  Great served immediately.  Leftovers can be refrigerated and heat up nicely to eat later.  Delicious served with maple syrup (although I don't find it needs any) and fresh berries or jam.

Out of the oven let rest just a minute and then serve! 

Baked French Toast Style Bread Pudding by Successfully Gluten Free!