Kneaders German Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe

We used to go to kneaders to get this German Chocolate Bread Pudding almost every date night. Until one fateful night in September 2017. They told us they didn't have any, not surprised because it's popular and delish. So we came back the next date night and they said they have discontinued it. WHAT?! We nearly died and honestly...we were thrown into such a sad and angry state that we were probably rude when they offered a replacement or alternative, whatever they offered they DID NOT say CHOCOLATE so there's no way it would have even come close to satisfying us at that moment.

Needless to say we needed to figure out how to make this! SO we went to Walmart like any good hangry couple on a date night would go and grabbed some ingredients. We aren't recipe inventing people and this is probably the 1st time I've ever shared a recipe on my blog. I don't like cooking, and usually just use other people's recipes but this recipe needs to be shared! After some taste testing, sharing with neighbors and an activity where the Hubs made it and won MOST APPETIZING we figured it was time to share this delicious recipe and let the world have it because other people might be in the same boat. This saved our marriage!!! Ok well helps us stay together more because date night treats are what we live for! Now we can happily make this anytime we want.

Kneaders Copycat Discontinued German Chocolate Bread Pudding

6 Large Croissants or 10 little ones
1 cup Guittard chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
2/3 cup Coconut milk (In the can, the milk can sometimes stiffen up so just mix it around)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2  tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup toasted sweetened coconut (shredded)

Directions: (see picture steps below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 13x9 with cooking spray. 
3. Cut croissants into big chunks and place in prepared baking pan. 
4. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 cup shredded coconut over the croissants. 
5. Wiggle pan to spread chocolate and coconut evenly.
6. In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour over the croissants and chocolate chips, pushing them down into the milk mixture with a fork so the bread can soak up the mixture like a sponge until all mixture is soaked evenly.
7. Put pan in the oven. Bake in preheated oven about 25-30 minutes.  
8. Optional: Toast some shaved coconut in a skillet for sprinkling.
9. Remove pan from oven when finished baking and Bread Pudding should bounce back when when touched. Then sprinkle some extra chocolate chips, coconut and serve warm, with an extra drizzle of coconut milk and remember the whipped cream too. 

Can you tell, we desperately tried to make this at midnight and the pics weren't so great during the assembly phase? LOL a little embarrassingly yellow and took with my phone. After we were able to eat some and see straight again, phew. The following morning I took the "official" real delish looking pics. ;) Chocolate treats before awesome pics, it's just what we believe in.

And if you're into "real" images here's the one we ate that night nice and warm from the oven which looks delish to me with the melted chocolate, but didn't have a great setup because we just had to eat some right then!