Half Baked Harvest's Tieghan Gerard recently joined Brit on a Teach Me Something New podcast episode all about her best cooking tips. Now, she's sharing her favorite recipes with us, all originally published on Half Baked Harvest. Take it away Tieghan!
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!
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! Anyway, take the croissants and make a small slit in each to create a pocket for the berries and cream.
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.
Baked Strawberry and Cream Stuffed Croissant French Toast
Prep Time: 15 minsCook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 373kcal
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.
Thanks Tieghan!
This recipe was originally published on Half Baked Harvest.
Check out our Teach Me Something New podcast episode with Half Baked Harvest's Tieghan Gerard for more food inspo.
Share your sweet creations with us @BritandCo and tag @HalfBakedHarvest!
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