Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away, on May 10th, and what better way to let mom know how much she means to you than with a box of delicious chocolate?

As always, See’s Candies has a nice selection of Mother’s Day gifts that any mom would be happy to receive!

Packaged in pretty pastel boxes or a standard classic white box, I can tell you there are few other things I’d rather get from my kids Sunday morning (of course, handmade cards are on that short list!).

For that reason I’ve got a $25 gift card to See’s Candies to give away to one lucky winner!

To Enter:

Leave a comment here telling me what your favorite See’s is — whether it’s a certain piece of chocolate, a chocolate bar, a lollipop, etc, there is no wrong answer!

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~ Contest ends Thursday, April 30 at 5:00pm PDT. One winner will be randomly drawn and notified by email, and will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

~ Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.

~ One winner will win one $25 See’s gift card.

[image used with permission from See's Candies]

Image details: Japanese Consumers Enjoy The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate served by picapp.com

Happy Mother’s Day from Chocolate Bytes!

I don’t think I’m going to have any trouble talking my husband into making this for me for Mother’s Day! It’s from Gale Gand at the Food Network and she says she started making it when she worked in England at the Stapleford Park Hotel. She also points out that using croissants that are a few days old will better absorb the liquids and give you a creamier, flakier dish.

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

4 to 6 croissants, preferably 1 or 2 days old
2 cups half-and- half
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch salt
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
Vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional

Cut the croissants into 1-inch cubes. You should have about 3 1/2 cups. Place the cubes in an ovenproof baking dish.

In a saucepan, heat the half-and-half, cream, and salt over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. When the cream mixture reaches a fast simmer (do not let it boil), turn off the heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until melted.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Whisking constantly, gradually add the hot chocolate-cream mixture. Strain the mixture over the croissant pieces and toss lightly. Let sit while the mixture is absorbed, at least 15 minutes. As it soaks, fold the mixture a few times to ensure even soaking.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a roasting pan that’s 2 inches deep and larger than the baking dish with paper towels. Fill the pan with very hot water and place the dish of bread pudding inside. Bake until set, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each serving.

[image: stock.xchng]