Christmas Morning French Toast Casserole
Course:
Breakfast, Brunch
Seasonal Event:
Holidays, Christmas
INGREDIENTS:
French Toast:
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 loaf French bread, cut into 18-20 1" thick slices
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups eggnog
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of kosher salt
Toppings:
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ - ¾ cup whole red and green maraschino cherries
- Maple syrup
DIRECTIONS:
- To make the French toast, grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with the butter. Arrange the bread slices in the baking dish in two overlapping rows.
- Whisk together the eggs, eggnog, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread slices, making sure the bread is well covered. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator.
- To make the topping, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, pecans, corn syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the casserole from the oven and decorate with the maraschino cherries in clusters of three to look like holly berries. Serve with maple syrup.
Cook's Note: It's best to use day-old bread, so the custard can really absorb. The casserole can be made the night before and refrigerated. Perfect for Christmas morning