Don't Throw Away Leftover Hamburger Buns If You Still Have Room For Dessert

Hamburger buns are more versatile than you may think. Before you throw out your stale hamburger buns after a picnic, consider using them for your next dessert. There are a variety of desserts you can make out of hamburger buns, but a popular one is bread pudding. Bread pudding is made with simple ingredients, including stale bread, milk, sugar, eggs, and spices, to create a deliciously sweet custard-soaked bread treat. You can use any type of bread for bread pudding, but brioche buns offer a fluffy texture and sweet flavor.

The reason stale buns are best for bread pudding is because they work better to absorb the custard; fresh bread gets too mushy. If your hamburger buns aren't stale enough, you can pop them in the oven to lightly toast them a bit. However, bread pudding may require a full day of baking; if you're looking for a quick recipe, there are many other ways to use up your stale buns.

If bread pudding isn't your top pick, hamburger buns can also be used to make ice cream sandwiches. Brioche buns, if you have them, add an extra sweetness to the sandwich with less mess. Just take any flavor of ice cream (or gelato) and add a scoop to the middle with toppings of your choice. This recipe is actually a popular Sicilian treat known as brioche con gelato, and it's easy to replicate at home. While it does typically require a specific type of brioche bun that's puffier, you can create your own spin on the recipe with leftover hamburger buns.

For another delicious sweet treat, take your hamburger buns and create French toast cups. Just take your buns, add small pieces to a muffin tin, and add a mixture of milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cinnamon on top before baking. This recipe is similar to bread pudding, but add maple syrup on top to create that French toast effect. Hamburger buns are easy to get creative with; whichever way you choose to use your leftover buns, make sure it's for something sweet.