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Fall weekend mornings are made for this Baked Butter Pecan French Toast. Made with a warming vanilla and cinnamon egg custard, sweet maple, brown sugar, and pecans. It’s baked until caramelized on top, and served warm with a cozy sweet bourbon maple syrup. Every piece of toast is soft, buttery, and custardy inside, yet caramelized around the edges. It’s almost like creme brûlée. Add fresh whipped cream and…beyond delicious!
When it comes to holiday breakfasts, I am very specific. Christmas is without a doubt cinnamon rolls – usually on Christmas Eve morning, and if there’s any leftover, they’re snacked on throughout day. Christmas morning is my mom’s Monkey Bread (an oldie but goodie!). In more recent years, we’ve been doing bacon and eggs too (I need a good savory casserole to make).
And for Thanksgiving? Well, that’s my wild card. It can really be anything, but we love something on the sweeter side. This year, it’s french toast. And probably these apple cinnamon rolls too, because we have a big group and both recipes are perfect.
But my goodness, this french toast is such a favorite.
The idea
The idea came from my baked cinnamon crème brûlée french toast that I shared a few years back. It’s my favorite baked french toast.
I wanted to give it a fall spin. I loved the idea idea of butter pecan…it’s my favorite flavor combination in November. So I went in that direction.
The details
Star with the “gooey” bottom layer that almost makes this french toast similar to a sticky bun. It’s a mix of brown sugar, maple, and butter. You’ll layer it on the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle over some pecans.
This next step is key. The sweet maple butter caramelizes and thickens in the oven around the french toast. This leaves you with a sticky sauce surrounding each piece of toast.
It is delicious!
The custard is a simple mix of eggs, milk, cinnamon, orange liquor, and vanilla. I highly recommend using the orange liquor as it adds that touch of special flavor. And truthfully, you really should have a bottle of orange liquor on hand at all times. Especially during the holidays, it makes the perfect margarita.
Dip each piece of bread in the custard, then arrange in the baking dish. Pour over that remaining maple/butter sauce and top with pecans.
Once the french toast has been assembled, place it in the fridge for an hour, or up to overnight. This is great if you want to have breakfast already prepped and ready for baking in the morning!
Finish with the syrup
While the french toast bakes, make the bourbon syrup. It’s simply maple syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
It might not seem like much, but the touch of bourbon really gives the french toast some warming “November” vibes.
Serve as is, or dollop with whipped cream. Then add plenty of the bourbon maple syrup. It is perfection.
The nuts add crunch, and the sauce keeps everything sticky and delicious. The french toast itself is eggy and custard-like…all together it’s the best!
Looking for other easy fall breakfast dishes?? Here are my favorites:
Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Lastly, if you make these Baked Butter Pecan French Toast, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How-To Video:
Baked Butter Pecan French Toast
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup, plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 7 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans
- 8 large eggs, beaten
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier , (orange liqueur)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 loaf challah bread, sliced into thick slices
- whipped cream, for serving , (optional)
Bourbon Syrup
- 1 cup real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- 1. Grease a 9x13 inch-baking dish with butter. 2. In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, maple syrup, and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Pour half the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half the pecans. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Grand Marnier, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Submerge each piece of bread into the egg mix, allowing the bread to sit at least a minute to soak up the eggs. Arrange the bread in the baking dish. Pour the remaining egg mix over the bread slices. Then add the remaining brown/sugar maple mix.4. In a bowl, mix the remaining pecans, butter, and brown sugar. Sprinkle the nuts over the french toast. 5. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake for 45 minutes or until the French toast is golden and crisp. If the tops of the bread begin to brown too quickly, cover with foil.7. Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small pot, mix the maple syrup, bourbon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes until thickened8. Serve the french toast warm, drizzled with syrup. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
In the top written article, you did not say to pour remaining egg mix over bread like in the recipe so I’m wondering if this is the difference on why some had an issue with it being too soggy? In article you said:
Dip each piece of bread in the custard, then arrange in the baking dish. Pour over that remaining maple/butter sauce and top with pecans.
I’m thinking of making this with a sourdough loaf from Costco. Do you think that will work well or better to find a challah or brioche?
Hi Sarah,
I would stick with brioche or challah:)
Hey Sarah,
The blog description is just a brief overview of the recipe, please follow the actual steps given for best results. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
How many hours can I leave this to sit in the fridge? Would 18 hours be too long?
Hey Lora,
18 hours should be just fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Could you swap in a dairy free milk? What are your recommendations on options, portions, and if anything else would need to be adjusted?
Hi Kailey,
I would use an equal amount of your favorite dairy free milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I made this as a trial for a post Thanksgiving Brunch and oh man…it is soooo good!!! What are thoughts on giving this to toddlers? Not the syrup of course but the baked French toast… It is so good and I know I could probably leave the the Grand Marnier out but it tasted amazing with it. Do you think the alcohol would cook off?
Hey Allison,
Happy Friday!! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! The alcohol will cook out but you could also just skip it. Have a great weekend. xTieghan
This was truly Devine. I loved the fluffy custardy texture. The flavors were spot on as well. I made this for a late Sunday morning breakfast with sausage links and had enough to feed my family of five as well as my parents. I still had about a quarter left in the dish and we snacked on it throughout the rest of the day. I didn’t have the Liquor on hand so I used two table spoons orange juice and one teaspoon orange extract. I also used a smaller/taller casserole dish which in my opinion was perfect because I only came across smaller challah bread loafs at Trader Joe’s where I did my shopping. I popped it in my fridge overnight and baked in the morning. Before serving I ended up excluding the bourbon syrup because the dish was plenty sweet in my opinion and didn’t need anything else to be just perfect.
Hey Laura,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. I hope you have an amazing week! xTieghan
Amazing for a morning at home or to impress a group! I prepped it the night before and added a touch of orange zest since it naturally went with the other flavors. In the future I would not add the extra egg/French toast mix in – I may also try laying the toast out differently next time.
But the flavor and idea is fantastic!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Happy Monday ? xTieghan
So good. Came out perfect. Can leftovers be frozen?
Thanks so much! The leftovers should freeze just fine 🙂 xTieghan
It tasted really good, but it turned extremely mushy. The tops were crisp, but then just below that it was mushy. We had to scoop it out with a spoon. I know French toast isn’t supposed to be as hard as toast. But this ended up being just like sweet mashed potatoes, so I don’t know if pouring in the leftover mix is a good idea. I might try leaving the rest out next time.
Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything you did differently in this recipe? xTieghan
Any experience trying this recipe with gluten free bread??
I haven’t tried it, but it should work great! 🙂 xTieghan
I’m not sure what I did wrong. I didn’t use the alcohol, prepped it the night before, and it came out soggy on the bottom, hard and crispy on top. I used a deep 9×13, maybe that why? The bottom of my dish had eggs and pecans, not a buttery, syrupy deliciousness. I will have to try again, maybe in a different dish.
Hey Trisha! Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything else you did differently? Let me know how I can help! xxTieghan
Wow! This was the first time making baked French toast. Incredibly delicious! Tasted just like sticky buns but the maple bourbon syrup sent it over the top! Yum!
Hey! Thanks SO much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xxTieghan
Made it. Loved it and you! Any chance you fancy making a savory challah breakfast casserole, please please please? Brunch made easy?
Hi Mary! Love that idea, thanks for sharing! xxTieghan
Hi! Could I sub plant milk for the whole milk in this one?
Hi there! Yes, that should work just! 🙂 xxTieghan
Made this yesterday. It’s a 10/10. Soooooo good. Soo easy! Would be perfect for Christmas morning ❤️
Hey there! I am SO glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Made this morning. Huge hut with our family. Definitely will make again!
Hey Monica! Thank you for trying out this recipe, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan