BREAD PUDDING CUPS WITH BOURBON SAUCE

Steps:

• For the bread pudding cups: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners and spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray. (Alternatively, spray the insides of twelve 2-ounce ramekins with nonstick spray.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and eggs. Add in the pecans, butter and bread and stir to coat. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
• Carefully fill the muffin tins about two-thirds of the way up with the bread pudding mixture. Cook until the puddings set, about 25 minutes.
• For the bourbon sauce: In the meantime, add the cider, bourbon, brown sugar, butter, lemon juice and salt to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce reduces by one-half, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the bread puddings from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. While still warm, use a skewer to poke a few holes into each pudding and pour in a couple of tablespoons of sauce. Serve immediately.