December 19, 2018
Do you make something special for Christmas morning breakfast? I always prepare a breakfast casserole on Christmas Eve that I can throw in the oven on Christmas morning for an easy, decadent and festive meal. My go-to recipe — beloved by my whole family — is a french toast casserole. It is delicious, extravagant, special, and easy. My girls request it every year and start talking about it weeks in advance. I even made it for Christmas in Germany! Along with plenty of fresh fruit and OJ (or mimosas), it is a Christmas morning breakfast of which even Santa himself would come back for seconds (or thirds, ahem).
This recipe is originally from The Pioneer Woman.
Ingredients (For French Toast):
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
3/4 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
For the topping:
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 pinch Nutmeg (optional)
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
Fresh Fruit (optional)
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter or spray. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
In a medium sized bowl mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.
When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 F. Remove casserole from the fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture – we used blueberries.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Drizzle with maple syrup and fresh whipped cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar and devour!
Here are a few more breakfast casserole recipes that would be perfect for Christmas morning:
Spicy Chorizo Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
(Featured Image from My Recipes)
