With buttery croissants; almonds for crunch and the raspberry jam, it’s a sweet delight at every bite. 

This easy breakfast recipe is perfect for a crowd. Whether you’re hosting brunch or have guests staying over, it’s easy to make ahead of time.

This croissant french toast bake is one of my go-to recipes on the weekend. Just like my Blueberry French Toast Bake and this breakfast casserole recipe, it’s easy to prep and the flavors hit the spot every single time.

Why you’ll love this baked croissant french toast 

• Easy: This is the perfect french toast recipe to serve a crowd for any special occasion.
• Delicious: A combination of buttery croissants baked with raspberry jam is hard to resist.
• Make-ahead: This is the perfect breakfast to make ahead of time. Prep at night and then bake the next morning.

Ingredients needed

Croissants: make sure to buy large croissants for this overnight breakfast casserole

Almonds: almonds add a nice crunch and texture to this croissant french toast

Eggs: eggs are a must to help bind this french toast bake together

Milk: milk is a key part of the egg mixture; I like to use whole milk but you can use 2%

Raspberry Jam: raspberry jam is key to adding sweetness; if you prefer a less-sweet breakfast, use a low sugar jam

Seasonings: adding flavour to the egg mixture you’ll need maple syrup, ground cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla extract

Toppings: top with butter, maple syrup, icing sugar and/or fresh raspberries

How to make a croissant french toast bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with softened butter.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest and salt until fully combined.
3. In the greased baking dish, spread out half of the croissant cubes. Then dollop 1/2 cup of the raspberry jam onto the croissant cubes followed by sprinkling 1/4 cup of the sliced almonds over the croissant cubes.
4. Next, spread out the rest of the croissant cubes and dollop with the rest of the raspberry jam, then sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of almond slices.
5. Pour the egg mixture over the croissant cubes to cover everything evenly. Let sit for 10-15 minutes on the counter.
6. Cover with foil and let stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before baking. Or, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight (about 12 hours). 
7. If the dish has been refrigerated, remove from the refrigerator, remove the foil and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before preheating the oven to 350F and baking.
8. Remove the layer of aluminum foil before baking! Bake for 45-50 minutes, until puffed, golden and crisp. If the tops of the croissants begin to brown too quickly, loosely cover the french toast with foil. The top will be puffy when its fully baked and then as it rests will deflate slightly but thats ok!
9. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. When you’re ready to serve top with butter, drizzle of maple syrup, fresh raspberries and/or a dusting of icing sugar.

Tips & Tricks

• Serve with fresh fruit like fresh strawberries, raspberries and/or blueberries.
• If the croissants are not day-old, you can toast them first before following the rest of the steps. Toast at 350F on a baking sheet for about 5-8 minutes until just starting to crisp.

Variations

• Blueberry croissant french toast bake: Substitute the raspberry jam for blueberry jam and swap the orange zest for lemon zest for a different take on this french toast casserole.
• Cream cheese: Add 4-6 ounces of brick cream cheese, cut into cubes, in the first layer with the jam for an even more luxurious french toast. 

Common questions

How to store and reheat

Leftovers of the croissant french toast bake can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in the pan it was baked. Alternatively, you can store pieces of the french toast bake in an airtight container in the fridge. Pieces can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven, covered with foil in a baking dish at 325F until warmed through.

More make-ahead breakfast recipes from the blog

• Savoury Turkey Breakfast Sausage Egg Muffins
• Spiced Pear Baked French Toast
• Bacon Mushroom Spinach Quiche with Gruyere Cheese

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Croissant French Toast Bake with Raspberry Jam

This Croissant French Toast Bake with almonds and raspberry jam is a wonderfully decadent breakfast or brunch. Easy to make-ahead too!

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine american-inspired

Keyword casserole, croissant, french toast

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 -12 pieces

Author Jess

Ingredients

• softened butter for the baking dish
• 8 day-old large croissants, cut or torn into cubes
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 small navel orange, zested
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup raspberry jam (low sugar if desired)

For serving

• maple syrup
• butter
• icing sugar
• fresh raspberries

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with softened butter.
• In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest and salt until fully combined.
• In the greased baking dish, spread out half of the croissant cubes. Then dollop 1/2 cup of the raspberry jam onto the croissant cubes followed by sprinkling 1/4 cup of the sliced almonds over the croissant cubes.
• Next, spread out the rest of the croissant cubes and dollop with the rest of the raspberry jam, then sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of almond slices.
• Pour the milk mixture over the croissant cubes to cover everything evenly. Let sit for 10-15 minutes on the counter.
• Cover with foil and let stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before baking. Or, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight (about 12 hours). 
• If the dish has been refrigerated, remove from the refrigerator, remove the foil and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before preheating the oven to 350F and baking.
• Remove the layer of aluminum foil before baking!

  Bake for 45-50 minutes, until puffed, golden and crisp. If the tops of the croissants begin to brown too quickly, loosely cover the french toast with foil.

  The top will be puffy when its fully baked and then as it rests will deflate slightly but thats ok!
• Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. When you're ready to serve top with butter, drizzle of maple syrup, fresh raspberries and/or a dusting of icing sugar.

The post Croissant French Toast Bake with Raspberry Jam appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

Fresh juicy blueberries bake with bread in a rich custard mixture made with eggs, maple syrup, milk and lemon zest.

Top each piece with a maple cream cheese topping takes it to a whole new level!

I love to make easy recipes like quiches and baked oatmeal for a special breakfast or brunch. But, this French Toast Blueberry Breakfast Bake is now in the rotation! All you need to do is prep this french toast bake the night before, store in the fridge and the next day simply bake in the oven about an hour before you’re ready to serve.

This is one of my family’s favorites brunch recipes to make anytime we have a big group for weekend brunch. It’s so irresistible!

Why you’ll love this blueberry breakfast bake recipe

• This french toast casserole is easy to make ahead of time! Prep the night before and bake the next morning!
• Perfect for any special occasion: Easter, Mother’s Day or Christmas morning.
• It’s a delicious breakfast that everyone will enjoy!

Ingredients needed to make this french toast blueberry breakfast bake

Bread: you’ll need one loaf of day-old bread, cut or torn into cubes; I like to use french bread, brioche or a baguette

Blueberries: fresh blueberries are a must for this blueberry breakfast bake recipe

Eggs: 8 large eggs are the base of the custard-like mixture that is poured over the bread to create the breakfast bake

Lemon: lemon pairs beautifully with blueberries so lemon zest is a must

Milk: I like to use 2% or whole milk

Maple syrup: maple syrup is in the breakfast bake and a much needed topping

Brown sugar: I love the addition of brown sugar to this french toast bake

Almonds: sliced almonds are toasted and then added as a topping to this blueberry breakfast bake

Seasonings: cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt round out the flavours in this recipe

How to make this blueberry breakfast casserole

Step 1: Turn your oven to low broil, place 1/2 cup sliced almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

Step 2: Generously grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter.

Step 3: In a large bowl whisk the eggs, milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.

Step 4: Spread half the bread cubes into the prepared baking pan and top with 3/4 cup blueberries. Spread the rest of the bread cubes in the pan and top with 1/2 cup blueberries.

Step 5: Pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes to cover everything evenly. Use a spatula to gently press down on the bread to make sure the milk mixture gets in all the crevices. Let sit for 1 hour before baking OR cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and store overnight in the fridge.

Step 6: If the pan has been in the fridge overnight, remove from the fridge one hour before baking.

Step 7: Preheat oven to 350F. Bake uncovered until golden on top or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before topping with the toasted almonds and then cutting and serving.

Step 8: While the french toast bakes, make the maple cream cheese topping if using. Mix together 1 cup softened cream cheese with 2 tbsp maple syrup (you can use a hand blender or food processor to blend this if desired). Set aside.

Step 9: Serve french toast with maple syrup, cream cheese topping or vanilla Greek yogurt and/or fresh blueberries.

Expert tips for making this blueberry breakfast bake

• The best bread to use in this recipe is a thick, hearty bread like french bread, brioche or a baguette, not regular sandwich bread. You want a thick and hearty bread that will soak up the luscious egg & milk mixture but not get soggy.
• This blueberry breakfast bake is best made with stale / day-old bread! If you don’t have time to let the bread sit out overnight, use my handy tip below in the common questions section to crust-up fresh bread.
• Make ahead: After the breakfast bake is assembled, it can be covered and refrigerated. Refrigeration will produce a more bread-pudding like texture and gives the liquid a chance to absorb fully.

Common questions

Can I use frozen blueberries instead?
You can use frozen blueberries, however, they do have a little extra water content. So, I recommend letting the blueberries defrost in a strainer in the sink so any excess water can drip off before using in this easy breakfast casserole.

What if I don’t have day-old / stale bread?
If you don’t have time to let the bread sit out overnight, here’s a quick method to get ‘stale’ / crusty bread for this recipe quickly.  Preheat the oven to 300F and spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes and then set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the recipe.

Can I use other fresh berries?
If you want to switch up the flavour in this recipe, I like to use a mix of berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and/or blackberries. In the Fall/Winter, swap the blueberries and lemon zest for fresh cranberries and orange zest respectively.

How to store

Leftovers of the blueberry breakfast bake can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in the pan it was baked. Alternatively, you can store pieces of the french toast bake in an airtight container in the fridge. Pieces can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven, covered with foil in a baking dish at 325F until warmed through.

More breakfast recipes to love from the blog

Healthy Crustless Veggie Breakfast Quiche Recipe

High Protein Peach Baked Oatmeal (with fresh peaches)

Spiced Pear Baked French Toast

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Easy French Toast Blueberry Breakfast Bake Recipe

This French Toast Blueberry Breakfast Bake Recipe is an easy make-ahead breakfast the whole family will love! Delicious for brunch too!

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword baked french toast, french toast

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 -12

Author Jess

Ingredients

• 1 loaf day-old bread, cut or torn into 1 inch cubes (about 10-11 packed cups of bread)  french bread, brioche, challah or a baguette  - see my notes below on how to crisp up fresh bread
• 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, divided
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup loosely-packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large lemon, zested
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• fresh blueberries and maple syrup for serving

Optional: Maple Cream Cheese Topping

• 1 cup softened cream cheese
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

• Turn your oven to low broil, place 1/2 cup sliced almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
• Generously grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
• In a bowl whisk the eggs, milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
• Spread half the bread cubes into the prepared baking pan and top with 3/4 cup blueberries. Spread the rest of the bread cubes in the pan and top with 1/2 cup blueberries.
• Pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes to cover everything evenly. Use a spatula to gently press down on the bread to make sure the milk mixture gets in all the crevices. Let sit for 1 hour before baking OR cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and store overnight in the fridge.

• If the pan has been in the fridge overnight, remove from the fridge one hour before baking.

  Preheat oven to 350F. Bake uncovered until golden on top or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before topping with the toasted almonds and then cutting and serving.
• While the french toast bakes, make the maple cream cheese topping if using. Mix together 1 cup softened cream cheese with 2 tbsp maple syrup (you can use a hand blender or food processor to blend this if desired). Set aside.
• Serve french toast with maple syrup, cream cheese topping or vanilla Greek yogurt and/or fresh blueberries.

Notes

• Make ahead: After the breakfast bake is assembled, it can be covered with foil and refrigerated overnight. Refrigeration will produce a more bread-pudding like texture.
• If you don't have time to let the bread sit out overnight, here's a quick method to get 'stale' / crusty bread for this recipe quickly.  Preheat the oven to 300F and spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes and then set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the recipe.
• Storage: Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

The post Easy French Toast Blueberry Breakfast Bake Recipe appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

So I’ve curated my best summer brunch ideas you must make this season.

From sweet to savoury, it’s no doubt you’ll find a brunch recipe you’ll love.I don’t know about you but brunch is by far my favourite meal, especially on the weekend!

And during the summer months when the days are longer I like to take advantage of a more chill morning involving some of my brunch recipe favourites.

It can be overwhelming to decide on what types of recipes to make for brunch too.

So I’ve rounded up my best summer brunch ideas to help make choosing your brunch menu super delicious and much easier!

4 Easy & Creative Breakfast Toast Recipes You’ll Love

I love these breakfast toasts! There are 4 to choose from and easy to whip up. Perfect with a cup of coffee!

Summer Brunch Board

This summer brunch idea is perfect for using season ingredients. You can mix and match to your heart’s content to create a stunning board that is perfect for sharing.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

My favourite pancake recipe ever! This pancake dough even does well overnight in the fridge so it’s ready to go for your weekend brunch plans the next day.

Stone Fruit Breakfast Crumble

Think of your favourite fruit crisp or crumble BUT for brunch! Using plums and peaches, this crumble comes together simply in one pan and then serve with yogurt if you choose.

Easy Baked Croissant French Toast

This recipe uses raspberry jam but you could use any summer jam to make this baked french toast.

Easy Breakfast Tacos

These breakfast tacos are always such a hit! It’s easy to use fresh ingredients you have on hand plus eggs and taco shells to make a delicious bite. You could even setup a breakfast taco bar for everyone to make their own.

Easy Skillet Coconut & Almond Granola

One of the most simple recipes, make this granola in a snap and then serve with milk or yogurt and fruit or jam.

Easy Herb Drop Biscuits

Use fresh herbs in these easy drop biscuits for the ultimate flavour. Serve with some simple scrambled eggs and bacon for a complete meal!

Mixed Summer Berry Goat Cheese Crostini

Use fresh berries to make an easy and tasty bite for brunch! These are so super satisfying and hit the sweet AND savoury mark.

Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups

These oatmeal cups are perfect for a lighter summer brunch because they can be made ahead of time. Then simply serve alongside some fresh fruit and you’re all set.

Can’t get enough of brunch?!

Might I suggest a few cocktails that go perfect with brunch too:

Berry Rhubarb Kombucha Sangria

Lavender French 75 Cocktail

Citrus Vodka Crush

Well I think we’re ready for brunch season friends. I hope these summer brunch ideas help inspire you to get-together with family and friends to enjoy some delicious food!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Summer Brunch Recipes to Make This Weekend appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

A combination of warming spices, ripe pears and toasted bread come together in one baking dish for a divine breakfast or brunch.

This easy french toast recipe will have you coming back for a second serving!

Are you a fan of brunch like me?

I absolutely love the weekend tradition of brunch and french toast is a favourite of mine.

So, I combined all of the flavours of the season like sliced pears and ground cinnamon into this baked french toast. And can I just say the spiced pears which are spread throughout this dish are just DIVINE.

The prep time for this recipe is fairly short and you can definitely make this ahead of time so it’s easy to bake in the morning.

What ingredients make a delicious baked french toast

Pears: Make sure to use ripe pears when preparing this recipe as they will bake more consistently within the french toast. Ripe Anjou pears are my favourite to use but Bosc or Bartlett pears would work too.

Bread: A day-old (or longer) french bread works perfectly in this recipe but you could also try brioche or a baguette. If the bread is fresh, cut into cubes and then toast in the oven (see instructions in the recipe notes below).

Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg are the perfect warming spices to complement the pears.

Almonds: Toasting the almonds just lightly at first adds some seriously toasty flavour throughout the baked french toast and pairs lovely with the pears.

Milk & Egg Mixture: This custard-type mixture is whisked together with vanilla extract and maple syrup. Then, pour it over the bread mixture so it can be baked together.

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Spiced Pear Baked French Toast

Looking for fall recipes? This delicious spiced pear baked french toast recipe will be a hit at fall and winter brunches.

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword french toast

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Author Jess

Equipment

• 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

• 1 loaf day-old bread cut into cubes (about 10 packed cups of bread) french bread or brioche or a baguette
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 2 ripe pears, sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, melted 
• 7 large eggs
• 2 ½ cups milk
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• butter for the dish and serving, maple syrup for serving

Instructions

• Turn your oven to low broil, place 1/2 cup sliced almonds on a baking sheet and toast 3-4 minutes until golden. Set aside.
• Generously grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter and turn your oven to 350F.
• In a bowl whisk the eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Set aside.
• To make the spiced pears, melt the butter in a bowl and mix in the pears, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar.
• In your baking dish, spread about half of the bread cubes on the bottom and then spread half of the spiced pears, half of the almonds.
• Next, spread out the rest of the bread cubes to make your final layer. Then, top with the rest of the pears and almonds
• Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread cubes to cover everything evenly. Use a spatula to gently press down on the bread to make sure the milk mixture gets in all the crevices.
• Let sit for 10 minutes before baking OR overnight in the fridge.

• Bake the french toast covered with foil for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for the remaining 15-20 minutes until golden on top. It should be firm and puffed up when it's fully baked and there should be no liquid left. (If you've let this sit overnight, take out of the fridge while the oven is pre-heating and it might require 10-15 more minutes baking time).
• Let the french toast stand for 5 minutes before serving. When you’re ready to serve top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.


Notes

If the bread is fresh, cut into cubes and then toast in the oven at 200F for about 10 minutes to dry it out.

This is honestly how I want to enjoy every Sunday morning. Just give me a cup of coffee, a good book and this divine french toast!

What is the secret to this recipe?

• Make sure the bread is at least one day old. Bread that is more dried out works best as it holds up to the egg batter.
• Crunchy topping: Almonds add crunch to this french toast and help to create a golden brown topping. But, you could also try walnuts or pecans.
• Maple Syrup & Butter: Butter makes everything better so make sure to top this french toast with a dollop of butter and of course some maple syrup.

I hope this is one of those breakfast recipes that you’ll make once and then have in your back pocket to make again and again.

And if you love brunch like me, try my Brunch Board where you can substitute all your favourite seasonal ingredients. Or try my classic quiche recipe.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Spiced Pear Baked French Toast appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.