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Brunching today with this Baked Cinnamon Crème Brûlée French Toast with Raspberry Preserves.
If there was ever a decadent french toast, this has got to be it. It’s pretty much one of the best holiday breakfast/brunch recipes you can find, and it’s delicious.
My current state of mind, cooking wise, is prep all things ahead and bake later. This year I’ve made it a goal of mine to be more organized come Christmas Eve (I think I say this every single year though). Therefore, I’m on the hunt for recipes that can be prepared in advance. It seems every Christmas I’m frantically running around cooking, mixing up cocktails, and wrapping gifts. It’s basically full on chaos. I don’t hate it one bit, but there’s definitely room for some organization and make ahead recipes.
Anyone else with me?
K, cool. Let me tell you about this french toast.
Here’s the quick story. Both my mom and oldest brother, Creighton love french toast. Every single Christmas Creighton will walk himself down to my house and request his annual French Toast breakfast, complete with bacon and a giant glass of milk (because apparently he’s still twelve years old). This breakfast doesn’t happen on Christmas morning since we always, always have Mom’s Monkey Bread, but more often it happens on Christmas Eve morning.
To me, Christmas Eve is my favorite day and actually trumps Christmas Day. I love the excitement in the air, it’s the best. Because Christmas Eve is so special to me, I always cave in and make the boys whatever they request. It’s my sisterly duty, plus I’m just a sucker. Whenever anyone asks me to make something, 99% of the time I’ll do it…yep, people pleaser right here.
Anyway, the point is, I’ve realized french toast on Christmas Eve seems to have become tradition. This year I’m being extra smart and prepping this french toast bake the day before, thus leaving me free to do things like wrap gifts, cook Christmas Eve dinner, and maybe even chill for a second? Maybe…
Since it’s Christmas, you know I had to come up with a rather decadent French Toast.
Enter this Baked Cinnamon Crème Brûlée French Toast. Oh my gosh, it’s heaven. No joke, it’s pretty much like eating dessert for breakfast, but hey, it’s the holidays, where anything goes so it’s cool.
So what is Crème Brûlée French Toast? It’s toast that’s eggy, custard infused…with plenty of cinnamon and orange liquor, has a crunchy sugar bottom, and is topped with whipped cream and raspberry preserves. Pretty sure it just doesn’t get better than this.
I served this up for Asher and I during our “Christmas Day” this past Sunday and the girl went crazy for it. Of course she doubled up on the whipped cream and skipped out on the raspberry preserves, but the little girl loved this baked French Toast and said that the just so slightly crunchy bottom was the very best part.
I agreed.
The recipe is pretty simple. It’s a mix of maple, brown sugar, and butter, spread evenly in the bottom of a baking dish. This is the “Crème Brûlée” part of the recipe. The sugars then caramelize as the french toast bakes up in the oven and create a slightly crunchy crust over the bottom of the french toast. It’s literally just incredible, think Crème Brûlée topping on eggy french toast. SO GOOD.
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 holiday flavor. And truthfully, you really should have a bottle of orange liquor on hand at all times, especially during the holidays…so you can make these Cranberry Orange Margaritas.
Once the french toast has been assembled, simply place it in the fridge for up to overnight. This is the perfect breakfast for early mornings when you don’t have time to cook. Simply remove from the fridge and bake.
Done.
To add a pop of festive color, I like to serve this with some raspberries preserves, but, going to be honest here, it’s pretty delicious just straight out of the oven with zero toppings. Maple and powdered sugar are really not even needed here, as the french toast is pretty sweet on its own, but of course do as you please and top as desired.
The more the merrier, right?
Yup, going with that!
Baked Cinnamon Crème Brûlée French Toast with Raspberry Preserves
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 536 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 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 ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 loaf challah bread, sliced into thick slices
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 jar (10 ounces) raspberry preserves
- whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Grease a 9x13 inch-baking dish with butter. 2. In a small bowl, mix together the maple, brown sugar, and butter. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.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 mixture, allowing the bread to sit at least a minute and soak up the eggs. Arrange the bread in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread slices.4. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the french toast. Transfer to the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the French toast is golden and crisp. If the tops of the bread begin to brown too quickly, loosely cover the French toast with foil.5. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the raspberry preserves and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes until warm.6. Serve the french toast warm, topped with whipped cream, if desired, and preserves. Enjoy!
The perfect plate of french toast.
This was incredible and so nice to get up on Christmas morning and just pop something in the oven that was so very much enjoyed by our group. Had to use brioche bread but it turned out just perfect and the brûlée on the bottom was just the perfect touch. Loved it—thank you for your perfect recipes!
Hi Lucy,
Happy Monday!❄️ I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xx
As in the past 3 years I will be making this amazing decadent dish for my families Christmas Breakfast. It has now become a tradition and will pass on the recipe to my daughter and grand daughter as they have been requesting it ever since the first time I made it. Thank you Tieghan for sharing this with all your cooking/baking fans!!! Have a fantastic Christmas!
A.
Hey Amy,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making this recipe each Christmas, I am so glad it has become a tradition! Happy Holidays! xT
This was amazing, a little after Christmas special for the whole fambam before farewell departures. So simple and easy to make, we had no leftovers. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe. We will be enjoying this year round. ?
-Guerra & Hill Family-
Hi Stephanie,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xT
This is a staple recipe! I’ve made it several times now and even went so far as to learn to make my own Challah because I didn’t know where to find it in my area. For me, one loaf is perfect for a half recipe in a n8x8″ pan and two loaves for a full recipe in 9×13″. Its just as delicious with frozen (pre-sliced) Challah. Prepping the night before makes it ideal for cozy mornings with family. I’ll probably make this for the rest of my life!!
Hey Jennifer,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! Have the best week!? xT
Two thumbs up! Merry Christmas from the Roch Family, we have just finished this off for our Christmas morning breakfast! Thank you for making such a yummy easy meal for a family this very busy and crazy morning. All the best! Always.
Hi Dea,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
Do you think this would work with GF bread?
Hi Pam,
Yes, that should work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
It’s in the frig now. I know it will be a hit. Wanted to give it a test run before Christmas Eve. Love all your recipes.
Thanks so much Lori!!
Soo yummy. Our guests couldn’t stop saying how much they loved it! I reduced the milk amount (2 cups instead of 2.5) because my husband was worried it would be too soft. It was great but I think would’ve been great with the full amount too.
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Loved it!
Hi Michelle,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
This was sooooo good! I made a 1/2 batch because it’s just me and my husband but while I halved the ingredients, I did use an entire challah loaf in an 8 x 8 pan. I ended up with 10 slices. I loved it with the rasp. jam and my husband preferred it with syrup.
I made this to test for a large group I’m cooking for in a few weeks and it will be perfect. My question though is if anyone has made this with coconut milk. I have one person in the group that is lactose intolerant and would like to make a small pan with coconut milk instead of milk. I just don’t know if it will end up too watery.
I make it with Almond milk every year – totally great!
Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind for next time.
Is it ok to omit Grand Marnier to this recipe?
Hey Karen,
Yes, that is just fine to do. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi there, just checking if the french toast will hold up if it’s in the fridge for close to 24 hours?
Hey Jenna,
I probably let it wouldn’t sit for more than 12 hours for fear it would become too soggy. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
About how much bread do you recommend….loaf sizes can vary so looking for an ounces or grams recommendation so I don’t end up too soggy or too dry. Thanks!
Hey Taylor,
Sorry I really do not know the ounces or grams in a loaf of challah bread. I would just fill your baking dish until it looks similar to my photos. I hope you Leo the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you think this recipe would work if you cubed the bread into little chunks instead of slices?
Better than sex with less the effort. My husband and I ate a whole pan in one day!!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I made this today for Mother’s Day and everyone at the table said it was the best French toast they ever had! So easy, make ahead brunch recipe.
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Can I use brioche instead of challah bread?
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Last weekend in January 2021 and I finally got around to making this one as a tread for Sunday. The only thing I did differently was change out the preserve for fresh raspberries and added creme fraiche instead of heavy cream. It was delicious though 🙂
Hey Colleen,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan