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

Print

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.

One word – pesto.  One of my favourite sauces by far that is super versatile and this is just one of the ways that I use it on a regular basis.  This recipe is a go-to for me during the week and once I shared it with my brother, it’s now one of his favourites too which he cooks up for his friends.

I hope this delicious and quick dinner recipe makes its way onto your dinner table in the future!

Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Equipment:  oven-safe skillet OR frying pan & baking dish

Ingredients:

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper each side of the chicken breast
2 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chicken stock (low or no sodium)
1 tbsp butter
1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in half
4 tbsp pesto
1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Instructions:

Chop 1/2 of a small yellow onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic; combine into a small bowl and set aside. Wash 1 cup of baby tomatoes, then cut them in half and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat oven-safe skillet (I like cast iron) or your frying pan to medium and add the olive oil.

Add onion and garlic, cook until soft & browned, about 5 minutes.

Next season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Then, push the onion and garlic to the sides of the skillet and add the chicken, cooking each side of the chicken breast for 5 minutes.

After the second side is cooked, add the chicken stock, butter and tomatoes and simmer in the pan for 5 minutes.

**If you are NOT using an oven-safe skillet, transfer the chicken and all of the sauce to your oven-safe baking dish before continuing to the next step**

Then, spread 1 tbsp of pesto on top of each chicken breast and then top off each with the crumbled feta (dividing the feta between the 4 chicken breasts).

Cover the skillet or baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Take the pan out and let cool a couple of minutes before serving.

I love serving this Pesto Baked Chicken with a side of quinoa or rice and green veggies like sautéed kale or broccoli.

PLUS this dish makes excellent leftovers!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Pesto Baked Chicken appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

I love garlic and I love shrimp so from the first time I ate this pasta I was hooked. The lemon brightens up the sauce and is the perfect companion for the shrimp. Plus you cannot go wrong with the butter and wine that make up the sauce.

I actually made this dish for my husband for date night when we first met and he’s loved it ever since.

You can make this pasta at any time during the year; I especially like it during Spring and Summer when I crave a dose of pasta because while heavy on flavour the ingredients are super light.

Needless to say, it’s a go-to pasta recipe for me and truly my favourite dinner by far! 

Total time: 30-40 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Equipment:  frying pan, pasta pot

Ingredients:

400g fettucine pasta
1/3 cup butter
zest from 1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb shrimp (about 500g)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Instructions:

Prep all of your ingredients and have them ready by your frying pan to add in as you make the sauce.

Boil the water for your pasta and once you have put the pasta in the pot to cook, turn your frying pan to medium-high heat.

Add in the butter, lemon zest, garlic and spices and stir until melted.

Once butter is melted, add in the shrimp and cook for about 8 minutes or until shrimp is pink and done.

Next, add in the parsley, green onion, wine and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for a minute.

Then, add in the lemon juice and cook for another minute. Your sauce is now done.

**Your pasta will be done about the same time as the sauce**

When the pasta is done, drain and mix with 2 tbsp olive oil in a large serving bowl.

You can serve one of two ways – you can dish out the fettuccine into each person’s bowl and top with the shrimp and sauce plus parmesan cheese OR pour the pasta into a large serving bowl and then top with all of the shrimp and sauce plus the parmesan cheese, then serve it in individual bowls.

It really doesn’t matter which way you serve the Shrimp Pasta because it’s delicious either way!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Delicious Shrimp Pasta appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

For as long as I can remember I have LOVED anything with apples – from desserts to pancakes to muffins, apples and cinnamon are a classic combination that I just adore.

My Mom used to make these muffins when we were growing up and they did not last more than a day (maybe two) in our house.

Just baking these muffins will give your house this lovely scent of home baked, cozy comfort which is especially lovely with the coolers days approaching.

These muffins are full of apples with a slightly caramel taste and the crumbled topping puts them to another level of deliciousness.  So here they are, Momma’s Apple Muffins!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Equipment: muffin tin, muffin/cupcake liners, 1 large mixing bowl, 2 smaller bowls
Servings: makes a dozen large muffins

Ingredients:
Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

Muffin Batter:
1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil (I actually used avocado oil and it worked great!)
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
2 cups peeled & diced apples (about 2 large apples, Gala or a firmer apple work well)

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 325F.

Mix all of the topping ingredients with a fork and set aside.  Peel and dice the apples, set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, vegetable oil and egg in a large bowl – whisk until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, baking soda, salt and vanilla.

Measure out the flour in a small bowl and then alternate adding the flour and buttermilk mixture into the brown sugar bowl, stirring until just combined after each addition to create your batter.

Once all of the flour and buttermilk mixture has been added, fold the apples into the batter.

Spoon the batter into your muffin tin and sprinkle the top of each muffin with the topping.

Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

These muffins will last about 2-3 days in an airtight container (if they’re not all eaten by then!)

I even like them better the second day when the crumbled topping has softened a bit.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Momma’s Apple Muffins appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

These wraps have become a go-to dinner when I have nothing to make – they can be made any season and you can have fun making your own wraps the way you like them.

Feel free to mix and match the toppings based on your tastes and have fun in the kitchen with this one!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Equipment: large frying pan
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 large head of butter or iceberg lettuce (iceberg is more sturdy but I love butter lettuce!)
4 mini bell peppers or 2 large bell peppers, sliced thin (your choice of coloured peppers)
Small bunch of cilantro, chopped
Small bunch of radishes, sliced thin
2 cups purple cabbage, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp peanuts, roughly chopped
4 chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of peanut sauce (my favourite sauce is Presidents Choice Szechwan Spicy Peanut Satay Sauce)

Instructions:
Slice & chop all of the toppings as listed above (bell peppers, cilantro, radishes, purple cabbage) and set aside in small bowls. Wash and set aside the lettuce leaves.

Next, mince the garlic & chop the onion and set aside in a bowl.  Then, prep your chicken – slice the chicken breasts in strips and season with salt and pepper.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to your frying pan and heat over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, sauteeing for about 5 minutes.  Then, add the chicken to the pan, stirring occasionally until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the peanut sauce and turn the pan to medium-low, cooking for 5 more minutes, stirring often.  Add the 1/2 cup chopped peanuts and stir. Let peanut-chicken mixture simmer 2 more minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan into a serving bowl and top with 2 tbsp of chopped peanuts.

To assemble the lettuce wraps, take a piece of butter lettuce. Sometimes I like to put the purple cabbage in first to keep the wrap sturdy, then add in the peanut chicken and top with peppers, radishes and cilantro!  Then, have many napkins handy!

Cook’s Note: If you don’t like peanuts OR there is a peanut allergy, you can easily substitute the peanut sauce in this recipe for your favourite stirfry or asian-inspired sauce from the grocery store AND you can omit the peanuts or replace with cashews or almonds to still get the same crunch!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

To this day, these Lemon Squares are still one of my favourite holiday treats; they’re a nice change from some of the richer desserts during the holidays and also great as a sweet gift.

These also make a lovely Spring-Summer dessert too!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Equipment:  square 8×8 pan
Servings: 25 squares

Ingredients:
Base:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
juice & grated zest of 1 large lemon

Instructions:

Base:
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Combine dry ingredients (flour, brown sugar, rolled oat) and mix with a fork.

Melt the butter and mix into the dry ingredients until combined.  Press into the bottom of the pan firmly.  Bake for 5 minutes and set aside.

Filling:
Grate the zest of the lemon and then juice the lemon, set aside.  Whisk the eggs in another bowl.  In one more separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients into the eggs and mix.  Then mix in the lemon rind first, then the lemon juice.  Pour the mixture over the baked crust and bake for 15-20 minutes – it should be just golden around the edges of the pan.

Set aside to cool.  Once cooled, sprinkle with icing sugar and cut into squares.

Cook’s Note: If you package these up in parchment and a tightly sealed container, you can freeze for 2-3 weeks. Take the squares out about an hour before you’re going to serve and enjoy!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Lemon Squares appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

We would all gather at the table, the aroma of coffee in the air and enjoy coffee & cake every afternoon around 3PM.  I absolutely loved this tradition – I mean really, which kid wouldn’t love cake mid-day?!

While I liked the cake part of ‘coffee time,’ having everyone together at the table just being together was what I loved most and remember most.  It was a pretty neat tradition and one I still talk about to this day.

I had my mom send me some of my all-time favourite recipes of my Oma’s, specifically related to ‘coffee time’ and today I’m sharing with you Blueberry Streusel Cake.  When I baked this recently I opened the oven and this wave of sweetness plus baked blueberries hit me, it smelled EXACTLY like it did 20 years ago at the cottage; it was like being transported back in time.

Perhaps this cake will inspire you to start your own coffee & cake tradition.

Prep time: 1 hour for cottage cheese step + 1 hour to prep & bake
Equipment: 15″ x 10″ (approximately) Cookie Sheet, scale & stand mixer (if you choose to use)

Ingredients: (Recipe serves 12-16)

Dough:
200g cottage cheese (drip/drained for 1 hour prior to use in recipe)
6 tbsp milk
1 egg
8 tbsp vegetable oil (only use vegetable oil, do not use olive oil)
100g sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
400g flour
4 tsp baking powder

Blueberry Streusel Topping:
4 small blueberry containers, washed and dried
Streusel:
65g melted butter
100g flour
65g sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

**Special Step:  Measure out the cottage cheese.  Rest a sieve on a bowl, put the cottage cheese in and let it drip/drain for 1 hour.  Once most of the liquid is gone, empty liquid and press the cottage cheese through the sieve.  You will end up with a finer curd.

Mix cottage cheese with milk. Then, add the rest of the liquids (egg, vegetable oil, vanilla) and the sugar.

Measure the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

Then mix in half of flour mixture into the liquid mixture. This will start to form a doughy texture.

Knead the rest of flour mixture into the dough you’ve already started to form. I would recommend incorporating the flour gradually, you can use a quarter or half cup to transfer the flour, then knead in until combined. Repeat until the flour is gone. (This part of the recipe is where you get an arm workout OR you can use the knead function if you own a stand mixer at home).

Use butter to grease a cookie sheet.  Then, roll dough to approximately the same size of the cookie sheet – transfer to cookie sheet.  **Helpful tip: I rolled my dough onto a piece of parchment paper approximately the size of the cookie sheet, then used it to help flip the dough onto the cookie sheet.

Layer blueberries onto dough.

To make the streusel topping, measure & then melt the butter.  Combine melted butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl – stir until ingredients are combined and form into crumbles (otherwise known as streusels).

Use hands and crumble streusel onto blueberries.

Bake 20 – 30 min at 350. (Berries will start to burst and bottom of cake will be golden)

Once cooled, dust with icing sugar.

Cook’s Note:  This cake is good covered and stored on cookie sheet pan for 1-2 days.  To make it go a bit further, store in an airtight container.  Also, since the cake overall is on the less sweet side, you could definitely have a piece as breakfast – I may have done this a few times growing up.

While this cake is delicious fresh-baked, it’s even better the next day! Pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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