This pudding is something to rah-rah about

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Taste-testers try the pudding on MyDaytonDailyNews.com

If you get a little carried away supporting the Girl Scouts through their cookie sales this season, it’s OK. You can use the cookies as ingredients for other recipes. It’s not a new idea — if you do an Internet search for “Recipes Using Girl Scout Cookies,” you’ll find all sorts of creations, such as Thin Mints in Chocolate Peanut Butter S’Mores, Samoas in Ice-Cream Truffles and Chocolate Cookie Pudding featuring Do-Si-Dos.

Rah-Rah Raisins are debuting in our area this year. Fourteen to a box, they are “hearty oatmeal cookies with plump raisins and Greek yogurt-flavored chunks.” There’s also a hint of cinnamon. Don’t expect soft and chewy cookies; these are crisp and great for dunking in milk or coffee.

Here’s a recipe I created with them:

RAH-RAH RAISINS BREAD PUDDING IN A JAR

Ingredients

8 Rah-Rah Raisins Girl Scout Cookies (1 cup, divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup)

12 slices white bread, torn into small pieces

1 apple, cored, peeled and diced

1/3 cup walnut pieces

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/3 slightly packed light brown sugar

½ stick butter, melted

2 eggs, hand beaten with a fork

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Place the pieces of bread and ¾ cup of the Rah-Rah Raisins crumbs in a large bowl. Add diced apple, walnuts and cranberries, and mix by hand. Then add milk and heavy cream until combined. Add brown sugar, melted butter, 2 eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well. Chill the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Spray non-stick cooking spray inside seven 8-ounce canning jars. Spoon the bread pudding mixture into the jars. Don’t overfill because the pudding will expand a bit as it cooks.

Mix the 2 tablespoons of melted butter with the remaining ¼ cup Rah-Rah Raisins crumbs. Place a small spoonful of this mixture on top of each jar and spread it across the top.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a cooking pan with ½ inch boiling water. Place the canning jars in the pan, making sure they don’t touch one another. Bake for 25 minutes.

After they’ve thoroughly cooled, place lids on the jars and refrigerate.

Our assessment: These tasty portable individual bread puddings are great to pack for lunch or a picnic. If you like whipped topping, divide the mixture into eight jars rather than seven to have room to add topping after the puddings have completely cooled.