Berry-Stuffed French Toast Casserole

Sorry no picture for this deliciousness. I am doing my best to keep my head afloat. :) Kristi's birthday was yesterday so I hosted a breakfast in her honor. When I saw this recipe featured on Channel 4 morning news, it screamed Kristi to me. And then I got excited cause I had more and more ideas of how to make it even tastier. Throw out your diet for a day, have your girlfriends over and enjoy!

Berry-Stuffed French Toast Casserole

9 Oakdell eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup maple syrup (I make my own syrup and ran out of mapeline, so instead I boiled 1 cup water with 2 cups sugar and added 1/2 tsp coconut extract--simmer until sugar is dissolved.)
12 cups cubed stale French bread
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cut into small cubes (I used 2 (8oz) pkgs!!)
2 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries
Blueberry Syrup or maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

In a smaller bowl combine eggs, milk, butter, and the ½ cup maple (coconut) syrup. Whisk until combined. Place bread cubes in large bowl; add cream cheese and the blueberries. Slowly pour the egg mixture over blueberry-and-bread mixture; gently fold mixture to evenly moisten the bread. Pour into greased casserole dish.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Cut in squares. Serve with Blueberry Syrup or additional maple syrup, if desired. Makes 12 servings.

I also made a berry pancake topping.
2 1/2 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup of the leftover coconut syrup made for the casserole

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook at a boil for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom as neeeded to keep from burning. Reduce heat to low; simmer the mixture until thick, about 10 minutes.


So then, I made the Coconut Syrup featured on my Tropical Pancakes post. The one that calls for coconut milk, brown sugar, and shredded coconut.


Finally, I whipped up some whipping cream adding sugar and--you guessed it--1/2 tsp coconut extract.


We layered the casserole, with the shredded coconut syrup, berry topping, and the coconut whipping cream. It was so delicious! My favorite compliment was that it tasted better than Kneaders!

ENJOY!