Friday, November 5, 2010

Apple Toffee French Toast Bake with Apple Syrup

 
Sometimes I happen to find recipes in the strangest places and those turn out to be the best ones. Today's recipe came in a little Magazine that Costco puts out for their members called Costco Connections. I was doing a quick thumb through before putting it in my recycling pile and that is when this recipe caught me eye. After reading through the recipe I knew I had to make this for my family. Apples, toffee and french toast? There was no way this could go wrong. Hold on, there is also cream cheese and toffee bits in the filling? And the finished bake is topped with an apple syrup? Sold, sold, sold!

This is definitely not a weekday recipe (unless you are on vacation or you like getting up really early), but more of a weekend breakfast/brunch item. The preparation is pretty much a cinch, but you do have to let the casserole soak overnight, plus count in the baking time the next morning. French bread is cut into cubes, half of the bread is layered into a greased casserole dish before topping it with a tart apple variety (I used Granny Smith) that has been chopped. Cream cheese is then mixed with brown sugar, white sugar and apple juice until creamy and smooth and then English toffee bits are stirred in. This mixture is spread over the apples and finally the other half of the bread goes on top. The whole casserole gets an egg/milk bath and is placed in the refrigerator overnight to soak and let the flavors mingle. The next morning, after letting the dish come to room temperature, it is baked until the eggs are set. Meanwhile the apple syrup is prepared. It is simply apple juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice which are brought to a boil and finally butter is incorporated.

Wow, wow, wow! This is pretty much one of the best sweet french toast bakes I have ever made. It is wonderfully crunchy on top, creamy in the middle with just a hint of toffee, tart apples and a custard like consistency. Absolutely amazing! The syrup just adds another little bit of apple flavor, but this would be just as tasty with maple syrup. With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, many of us will be hosting guests and this French Toast would be wonderful for anyone to wake up to. If you like apples and enjoy breakfasts on the sweeter side, this is one recipe I'm urging you to make this season. I don't think you will regret it!



Apple Toffee French Toast Bake with Apple Syrup
(adapted from "Costco Connections")

Ingredients:

For the French Toast:
8 cups French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tart apples, peeled and chopped (I used Granny Smith)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup English toffee bits
6 eggs
1 cup milk

For the Apple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

For the French Toast: Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan; top with apples. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars, apple juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth; stir in toffee bits. Spread over apples. Top with remaining bread cubes.

In another large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well blended; pour over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the French toast is baking, prepare the syrup.

For the Apple Syrup: In a medium-size saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple juice and lemon juice; heat to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minutes, then stir in butter. Serve over warm Apple Toffee French Toast Bake.

Adapted from: Costco Connections


51 comments:

  1. I'm totally diggin the combination of flavors and ingredients in this french toast. I'd so love some right about now. Wow wow wow is right! Have a great weekend Susi!

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  2. yes..this is just beautiful.. i cant wait to try this out. thank you for sharing this.

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  3. Yum! I love when recipes come from odd places. It's like an adventure!

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  4. I love the Costco Connection and read it every month!! I did, however, miss this so I'm thankful you didn't.
    We just discovered we are having guests over Thanksgiving, and something along these lines will be a perfect holiday brunch! So glad you posted to get me thinking. This is all coming quicker than I realized!

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  5. This sounds fantastic! Really, I can't think of anything better than toffee in French toast.

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  6. Yummy!!! Hast Du Baguette genommen oder was meinst Du mit French Bread? Rezept wird notiert fuer den anrollenden Besuch. Danke, Susi.

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  7. Kirsten, ich habe Baguette genommen allerdings kannst Du das French Toast auch mit anderen Brotsorten machen. Wichtig ist nur ein "stabiles" Brot zu nehmen. Typisches American Bread (wonderbread) wuerde viel zu weich werden.

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  8. i've also found good recipes in that costco book! this looks amazing and i love the idea of apple syrup

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  9. I could see that syrup being used for MANY things this time of year

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  10. This French toast looks totally heavenly! Apple syrup is a great add.

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  11. Now, this is my kind of breakfast! Looks incredibly scrumptious, Susi.

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  12. What a wonderful breakfast treat! I can just imagine how good this tastes and smells. MMMMMM!

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  13. Yum! I heart Costco. And I'm usually not a big french toast fan *gasp* but this looks heavenly!! I'm making it this weekend! :-P

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  14. That sounds absolutely fantastic!

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  15. I love the last shot, the *pour* shot this looks so super good, great idea

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  16. I've found some of the best recipes in places like that. A local grocery store chain called Hannaford puts out the best monthly booklet. We've had some great meals from that.
    This really does look delicious. And it's rather nice waking up in the morning, popping in a breakfast casserole like that, and eating well!

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  17. I love this idea and I'm going to make it when my family piles in for Thanksgiving. Along with some scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and hot coffee--yummy. Thanks for finding the recipe, testing it out, and posting about it just in time.

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  18. Holy crap, this came out of the Costco book??? Good catch, it looks amazing!

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  19. what a great recipe! looks so perfect and yummy!!

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  20. I get flyers for cookbooks in the mail all the time. I always make sure to look through them for recipes before I throw it away - and I've found some great ones! THis look absolutely amazing!!

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  21. Oh, what a delicious combination of flavors! New to your blog, but lovin' it!

    Mary xo
    Delightful Bitefuls

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  22. Isn't it funny where you can find recipes? It looks like you found a real winner in an unlikely place. It's almost like a buried treasure! This looks and sounds delicious. I imagine it would be a great sweet treat to start off Thanksgiving or Christmas day. Thank you for sharing your treasure!

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  23. Oh wow! My stomach is growling! The photo with the apple syrup being poured on top, what can I say? Besides "I WANT NOW!!!", I'm at a loss for more words. Well done Costco! I don't know if you have checked out my giveaway yet but I only have 2 entries so far and 5 people will win. If you don't have a use for the prize maybe you could pass it along to someone who could. Thank you! http://imapretendchef.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-have-our-first-pretend-chef-giveaway.html

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  24. This is exactly the type of dish that makes me go crazy. I love syrupy, ooey, gooey French toast.

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  25. cream cheese is a delicious addition
    check out the event in my site
    regards

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  26. Sign me up!! What a wonderful casserole!! I'm wondering if I can sneak this into the family Christmas morning brunch... Kate@kateiscooking

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  27. I'm imagining the smell as it bakes...and it's heavenly! Anyone would love to wake up to this Susi! This would be wonderful for the holidays.

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  28. I've been craving for sweet stuff lately, not sure if it's the pregnancy or I'm just finding some excuses to eat sweets. Coming to your site doesn't help ! lol! they look GREAT!!!

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  29. This would be perfect for a holiday brunch! (or why wait for a holiday?) I'm saving this for when I have a house full of family- they'll save me from eating the whole dish. :)

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  30. This recipe would definitely have caught my attention as well. Everything about this sounds delicious from the toffee to the cream cheese to the apple syrup. Thanks for sharing!

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  31. YUM! Sounds like the perfect breakfast for all the guests coming over the holidays!

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  32. This french toast definitely looks amazing and like a must make for when having holiday guest! Thanks so much for sharing. You have a new follower!

    xo

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  33. Who knew that Costco Connections can make such a beauty this is so great and perfect for fall.... amazing

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  34. How did I miss this in my Costco Connection?? This looks absolutely heavenly! How can you go wrong with those yummy flavors? This would be a perfect brunch dish.

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  35. All of those words make me hungry! Wow, this really sounds delicious :)

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  36. I luv french toasts that soak overnight and this one sounds like it boasts some great flavors. I just realized I don't rcv the Costco Connection anymore...need to look into that.

    Thanks for sharing a great recipe.

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  37. I've been away far too long, my dear. This is insanely yum!! Who would have thought a Costco flyer? it's really genius. I think this would be the perfect Christmas morning breakfast/brunch! love the pic of the syrup streaming down onto the lusciousness. MMmmmmmm!

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  38. This looks amazing! I'm thinking Christmas morning breakfast, always looking for new ideas. Love finding recipes in random places.

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  39. Whoa. This is serious! This is AMAZING.

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  40. Wow, this would make a wonderful dessert for the holidays:)

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  41. I think this would be great to have for Christmas morning. This looks delicious Susi! I think I told you I love apple desserts!:)

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  42. this looks insanely good. i love toffee and apples together!

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  43. Good gosh, Susi, this sounds like it's probably illegal! Do you have to get a license to bake this? Where do I go to apply for one? ;) This sounds almost too good to be true. Like apple bread pudding meets apple pie meets the best French toast in the entire galaxy. And how remarkable that you adapted this from a Costco recipe! One just never knows where great inspiration, and great recipes, will come from. Beautiful, as always!

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  44. Hi Susi! Just dropped by to say hi! Hope all is well with you!

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  45. Looks so good! Love the syrup addition!

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  46. I made this recipe this morning...have to say, I will not be forgetting this recipe anytime soon. It was so yum. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  47. Wow! This sounds delicious...and I can't believe it was from Costco! My mouth is watering from the way you described the flavors and textures! If you served this for brunch the guests wouldn't want to leave ;)!

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  48. Fabu! Made them tonight. Doubled the recipe…would make with more syrup.

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