Baked Apples with Cranberry Molasses Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 12 oz day-old brioche seedless cubed ()
• 6 tablespoons butter cooled melted
• 12 servings warm caramel sauce 
• 1.3 cups cranberries cut in half
• 0.5 cup blackstrap molasses dark
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger 
• 1 cup half-and-half 
• 0.8 cup brown sugar light packed
• 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1.5 cups pecans coarsely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 12 servings whipped cream 
• 12  some of each (6 lbs. total)
• 12  some of each (6 lbs. total)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• baking pan
• aluminum foil
• melon baller

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 with rack in lowest position.
2. Bake bread in a large rimmed pan until crisp, 40 to 45 minutes.
3. Let cool.
4. Meanwhile, peel the top quarter of each apple and, using a melon baller, scoop out stem, core, and enough of inside so that walls of apple are about 1/2 in. thick (don't break through bottoms). If needed, trim bottoms slightly so apples sit upright.
5. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, molasses, butter, eggs, half-and-half, ginger, vanilla, and nutmeg to blend. Increase oven to 32
6. As it heats, bake pecans in a shallow pan until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Add bread and cranberries to molasses mixture; toss to coat.
8. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until two-thirds of liquid is absorbed, 12 minutes. Stir in pecans.
9. Generously stuff apples with bread mixture, mounding it. Set in a 9- by 13-in. baking dish plus a smaller shallow dish.
10. Bake until each apple is very tender when pierced, about 1 hour; check after 40 minutes and tent loosely with foil if they're getting dark.
11. Serve warm in shallow bowls with ice cream and caramel sauce.
12. Make ahead: Prepare through step 5 and chill airtight up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature (2 1/2 hours) before baking.