Christmas-Morning French Toast Casserole
Christmas-Morning French Toast Casserole
Christmas-Morning French Toast Casserole
Christmas-Morning French Toast Casserole

Christmas-Morning French Toast Casserole

David Venable

This is a delicious, budget-friendly recipe that can feed a large crowd or a houseful of guests.

French Toast

  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 loaf French bread, cut into 18-20 1" thick slices
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups eggnog
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

To make the French toast, grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with the butter. Arrange the bread slices in the baking dish in two overlapping rows.
Whisk together the eggs, eggnog, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread slices, making sure the bread is well covered. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator.
To make the topping, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, pecans, corn syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the casserole from the oven and decorate with the maraschino cherries in clusters of three to look like holly berries. Serve with maple syrup.

Topping

  • 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2-3/4 cup whole red and green maraschino cherries
  • Maple syrup

Cook's Notes

It's best to use day-old bread , so the custard can really absorb.|The casserole can be made the night before and refrigerated. Perfect for Christmas morning!

Print Recipe