I added melted white chocolate and chopped pecans to the top and it was so delightful - try this twist and if you do change the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. and nutmeg to 1/4 tsp. - Another yummy idea that I tried was adding 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla instead of adding the Brandy! It was Fab!

This recipe was absolutely delicious!!!! I had googled a search looking for a way to use some fresh bing cherries I had bought, and this was one of the results that came up.I made it last night for a special Sunday dessert and everyone just loved it! I made a few changes, taking the advice of the other reviewer who suggested using half the amount of cinnamon and nutmeg, and adding white chocolate. Only instead of melting it, I just put a handful of white chocolate chips over it, and sort of pushed them down into the mixture a bit. Although they didn't melt, they added a wonderful flavor, and definitely would do that again! I also substituted using Egg Beaters for the 3 eggs, to lower the cholesterol, and used "Splenda Blend" for the sugar. That product uses half sugar, and half sugar substitute, so it essentially maintains the same level of sweetness, but with half the sugar, this was helpful for my diabetic husband. And I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I had a lot of stale hot dog buns to use up, and I used them for the bread in the recipe, instead of french bread! The result was great, but next time I will use the french bread because it will give it more body. I think the hot dog buns gave it a little too soft of a texture. But no one would have guessed that I used the buns in there. (I hate to waste food!) When it comes out of the oven, it's beautiful and puffed up and golden, but then it sinks down, as it cools. I called it an "ugly duckling" dessert, because it looked kind of ugly. (smelled wonderful though!) I baked it in a 9 x 12 Pyrex dish and served it in pretty little bowls and just added a small dollop of whipped cream (maybe 1 Tablespoon) You would never guess that it used any substitutions! We're pretty picky about our bread pudding, its a family favorite, but this recipe gave my traditional recipe a run for its money! Thanks so much for posting it! This will be a definite repeat when cherries are ripe! (the recipe serves 10-12, not 6 to 8 as stated)