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It’s pretty hard to beat this Baked Strawberry and Cream Stuffed Croissant French Toast. Not only is this french toast easy…it’s better than any other french toast you’ve ever had. Yep, bold but true! Soft, buttery, flaky croissants, stuffed with strawberries and extra creamy, cream cheese. Then baked in an eggy french toast “batter”. It’s the perfect (make-ahead) brunch entrée for both spring and summer. And it’s super pretty when topped with a dollop of whipped cream, berries, and a nice drizzle of maple. No one will pass up this french toast!
This was a very last-minute recipe that I made on Sunday with Mother’s Day in mind. Instead of overthinking it, I just decided to make it. And now? Well, now I couldn’t be more excited to share the recipe. I had the realization Sunday morning that I haven’t yet shared anything for a Mother’s Day brunch. Usually, I’ll share at least one new recipe with you guys to help celebrate our moms. More times than not, my brunch recipes are on the sweeter side, as that’s the kind of brunch food my mom enjoys most.
She’s loves anything bready, eggy, fruity, and dolloped with cream. Think dutch babies, blueberry waffles, crepes, pancakes, and french toast. She loves them all.
I opened up Pinterest to see a photo of french toast dressed in powdered sugar and berries. Suddenly, I felt like making french toast. But instead of just regular ole’ french toast, I’d make it extra special for Mother’s Day. I decided I’d bake it, because let’s be real, standing at the stove flipping french toast all morning is not what I want to be doing. I think we can all pretty much agree on that.
And that’s when this fun idea was born.
Using croissants for french toast is nothing new to me, I’ve done it before. But this time, I wanted to try something different. I want to leave the croissants in their same shape and form, but instead, stuff them with berries and cream, and then bake them on a baking sheet to allow them to caramelize a bit in the oven.
At first, I wasn’t sure how everything was going to play out. But honestly, I might never make french toast any other way again. This is so easy, but looks crazy impressive, and most importantly, it’s delicious.
Here are the details
For the french toast batter, it’s simple…eggs, milk, and vanilla. My secret here is a splash of St. Germain, which is elderflower liquor. It’s a very subtle floral flavor that I find pairs perfectly with strawberries. If you have it on hand, it’s a must. If not, just use vanilla and maybe add a pinch of cinnamon.
You’ll want to find yourself some croissants, it’s best if they’re nice and flaky, but on the smaller side. If possible, let them sit out for a day. But honestly, I usually just buy them fresh and then make the french toast! I’m not a great planner. Anyway, take the croissants and make a small slit in each to create a pocket for the berries and cream. It’s actually really easy to do. I tried my best to give you visuals, but as always look out for the Instagram story tonight for a complete how-to.
Next, swirl the cream cheese with your favorite strawberry jam, then stuff the mix into each croissant. Sounds fancy, but I promise, it’s easy.
From here, butter up a baking sheet. Now dip each stuffed croissant into the egg batter, and arrange on the baking sheet. Here’s the added bonus to this recipe. Once the french toast has been dipped, you can cover the pan and keep it in the fridge overnight, then in the morning – bake!
Very convenient for early mornings!
Here is the secret…
It’s simple, first, mix butter with brown sugar and maple. The secret is to spoon that brown sugar and maple butter sauce over top of the french toast about three-quarters of the way through baking.
As the french toast finishes baking the sugar and butter caramelize overtop of the croissants creating a caramelized outer layer with the softest, eggy, creamy insides.
It is DELICIOUS you guys.
I will note, you may need to spoon some of the maple butter sauce off of the sheet pan and over the french toast, as it will slide off a bit. But other than that nothing is tricky!
I (of course) serve the french toast warm with a dollop of whipped cream and maple.
And the berries, I love to toss them with a little more of that St. Germain and a splash of vanilla too. Simple, pretty, and oh SO GOOD. When I sent my mom the photos, this was her response…
“Wow! I want to eat those – NOW! Beautiful!”
“They ALL look SO good!”
And after I finished shooting, she ate them. She said they tasted even better than they looked. This baked croissant french toast clearly has her seal of approval! We will 100% be recreating this recipe for Mother’s Day!
Looking for a few other Mother’s Day brunch recipes? Here are my mom’s favorites.
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream
Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream
Lastly, if you make this Baked Strawberry and Cream Stuffed Croissant 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!
Baked Strawberry and Cream Stuffed Croissant French Toast
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 525 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons St. Germain (elderflower liquor) (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6-8 small-day-old croissants
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup high quality strawberry jam
- 3 tablespoons melted salted butter, plus more for the pan
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced horizontally
- whipped cream and maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a baking sheet with butter. 2. In a large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons St. Germain, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and the salt. 3. Grab the croissants and make a 1 inch slit at the top of each, move your knife to create space in the croissant, being careful not to poke through the other sides (see above photos). 4. In a bowl, gently stir together the cream cheese and strawberry jam, leaving streaks of red and white. Spoon the mix into a ziplock bag and snip the corner off the bag. Squeeze approximately 2 tablespoons of the strawberry cream into each croissant where you created your hole. Don't stress about making it perfect. Dip each croissant into the egg mixture, allow it to sit 1 minute per side. Arrange half the croissants on the prepared baking sheet. 5. Brush each croissant with a little leftover egg batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the croissant is golden. 6. Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Spoon the butter evenly over each croissant. Bake another 10 minutes, until the croissants are caramelized on top and crisp.7. Toss the berries with 1 tablespoon St. Germain, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon maple. Serve the french toast warm, topped with whipped cream, berries, and maple Enjoy!
Notes
To Make Ahead: Complete the recipe through step 5. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake, remove the french toast from the fridge and let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats. Bake and finish the recipe as directed through step 5.
I don’t usually make decadent, sweet breakfasts but something about this recipe was calling me to make it. I’m glad I did! It was a reward of sorts after doing a hard workout on a rainy Memorial Day and it definitely brightened my morning. I subbed some floral gin for the St. Germain, and it was delicious! I loved how the fresh strawberries turned out and piled them high. Thanks!
Hey Mary,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I am so excited that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
I made this for breakfast this morning as my weekend treat. I didn’t have strawberry jam so used lemon curd instead and I used honey instead of maple syrup. It was delicious. Thank you for the recipe. ?
Hey Colleen,
Happy Weekend! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
My husband doesn’t usually like sweet breakfast foods, but he ate this right up!! Super yummy!!! And not as intimidating to make as I first thought lol Great recipe!
Hey Macy,
Happy Thursday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
As another commenter said – this was very simple to make and I was very pleased with the result. I will definitely be making this again.
Hey Vernette,
Fantastic! I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Crowd pleaser. So simple to make. The St Germain’s adds so much flavor. Will make it again and again.
Hey Ashli,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes!! I am in charge of my sister’s bridal shower brunch. Do you think these would be ok to travel with? Her shower is at a local coffee shop. Would love for these to be part of the menu!
Hey Eugenia,
Happy Sunday!!🏈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Totally, just keep covered during your transfer:) xx
This is a silly question, but you say through step 5, does that mean I go ahead and bake them or do I just do the egg milk then put them in the fridge? Sorry I didn’t know if I was to bake them out them in the fridge! Thank you! Can’t wait to make them
Hey Hannah,
You will want to wait to bake them. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
made this for Sunday breakfast for my family and was a huge hit!
I did make them on a stone baking sheet instead of a metal sheet and it caused the bottoms to get stuck so next time I will use metal to help them crisp up.
Love this recipe!
Hey Julia,
I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try!! xxTieghan
My daughters and I made this for Mother’s Day breakfast the night before. So easy for the kids to do. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe, we loved it!
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great Sunday:) xTieghan
This is a keeper!! Tried the make ahead option for ease the next morning. Absolutely delish and got ooo’s and ahh’s. Perfect as written and wouldn’t change a thing. Nice balance of flavors and textures. Adding to my fav list to make again. Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey JoAnna,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
This recipe looked fabulous and I used smaller croissants like you suggested but my filling oozed out all over the baking sheet in the oven creating a huge mess. What a disaster!
Hey Melody,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Unfortunately, it sounds like you could have overstuffed them. Thanks for trying the recipe!! xTieghan
I would give this recipe more than 5 stars if I could. I made this for mother’s day and it was a hit. The only change I made was used goat cheese instead of cream cheese. I made them up the day before and they cooked up perfectly. The glaze that is brushed on top is like the topping on creme brulee after it bakes. It get crunchy and adds texture to the french toast. I mixed up strawberries, raspberries and blueberries as a topping. My head is already thinking of what I can do with fall fruit. I think pumpkin would be excellent and one made with apples or pears. This recipe is a great base and you can use any fruit or jam flavor. Keep these types of recipes coming. Simply the best.
Hey there,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
Made these for Mother’s Day and they were SO good !!
Hey Amy,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
I printed this out for my husband and daughter to make this for Mother’s Day. Let’s just say that waking up to this cooking was a dream, until I tasted it and it was delightful. I’m not usually a sweet/breakfast person but this exceeded all expectations. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Veronica,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
My kids made this for me for Mother’s Day brunch (I sent them the recipe earlier in the week as an idea) and it was delicious! They made it perfectly. We just ate fresh sliced strawberries on top and it was amazing.
Hey Krista,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made these today for Mother’s Day brunch. Everyone was blown away! My sister said she felt like she was eating at a restaurant. This recipe is PERFECTION and so easy!
Hey Julie,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This was decadent and oh so good for Mother’s Day brunch. I did half with the strawberry/cream cheese and half with mini chocolate chips and a bit of powdered sugar to sweeten. LOVED!!!!
Hey Patricia,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! xTieghan