Cranberry and Cream French Toast

The ultimate comfort food for breakfast at Christmastime is this Cranberry and Cream French Toast. Prepared the night before, making breakfast or brunch a cinch, brioche bread is layered with cranberries and cream cheese and soaked in a custard made with cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and nutmeg. A holiday breakfast doesn’t get any tastier than this!

Call them individual pots or call them personal casseroles – it doesn’t matter what you call them, because individually baked Cranberry and Cream French Toast is super easy, super impressive, and super delicious! We all know that French toast is rustic and comforting. It’s meant to be enjoyed by family and friends. Breakfast or brunch, it doesn’t matter as long as there’s good conversation. And, in the privacy of your own home, copious amounts of syrup and hot coffee!

These are so easy to prepare and they are most certainly ideal if you are serving French toast for breakfast or brunch to a crowd. You can easily prepare the mixture the night before and load it all into individual ramekins, or even little cast iron skillets. In fact, you can even pile it all into a 9×13-inch casserole dish and make it even simpler. Bake them off in the morning and serve them up with berries, whipped cream, and even some confectioner’s sugar for dusting.

I’m going to tell you all about this breakfast recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to review the other Christmas recipes I have shared this holiday season. The last week of October, I finished up my first holiday recipe series for this year, called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts. Then, I shared Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. Just last week, I shared the last recipe in my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas series. I still can’t believe that was Volume 6 of that series!

And now, with Christmas just a short time away, I’m kicking off this next series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts!

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts. This series will focus on easy-to-make and some make-ahead breakfasts that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require some baking, but they won’t be too complex that you can’t whip them up on Christmas morning, especially if you’re an early riser. Some are just assembly-type recipes, while others can be prepared in advance.

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfast series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Brioche Bread – Using one large loaf, cut it into one-inch cubes. Alternatively, you could use challah, Hawaiian bread, or even croissants.
• Cream Cheese – When baking with cream cheese it is always best to use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub.  The brick style is firmer and more condensed.  Cream cheese adds texture and flavour to baked items.
• Cranberries – You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature! For this recipe, you will two whole large eggs.
• Cream – Heavy cream will give the dish a richer and more flavourful profile. In a bind, whole milk can be used too.
• Maple Syrup – You can use real or imitation here.
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Nutmeg
• Salt

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY AND CREAM FRENCH TOAST

Grease ramekins, mini oven-safe baking dishes or a regular 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer half of the prepared brioche to the baking dish in an even layer. Dot the bread with the cubed cream cheese and one cup of cranberries. Next, add the remaining cubed brioche.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, maple syrup, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the last layer of brioche. Dot the top with the remaining cranberries. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the dish from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for a further 25 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup.

CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference between the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to Cranberry and Cream French Toast.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to cream so if a recipe calls for cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe.

REAL VS IMITATION MAPLE SYRUP

Maple syrup is one of those things where John.e and I disagree. He prefers real maple syrup, but I prefer artificial stuff. Whenever I include maple in my recipes though, I always use the real maple syrup. (I save my fake, cheap stuff for myself!) I know Pearl Milling Company Original Syrup is not authentic maple syrup, but it has a maple flavour and I love the thickness of it!

Since maple can be a little bit sweet, I didn’t use it a whole lot. Plus, you just want a hint of maple flavouring, so if you’re planning to use the real stuff, which can be rather expensive, don’t worry because you won’t be using too much of it.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

If you’re serving this Cranberry and Cream French Toast as a brunch item, you might consider serving them with a few other goodies. The first time I served these, I made sure that I had several options to make a full, bigger brunch. A plate of crispy bacon on the table is always a good idea. I’ve even whipped up some scrambled eggs to set in the middle of the table too!

Let’s see – how about some Very Berry Muffins, or a skillet full of my Potato and Bell Pepper Hash? I also think a Fresh Fruit Salad is a great option! You can make this fruit salad ahead of time and save yourself the task of washing and cutting up fresh fruit in the morning. Lastly, ensure that there is a bottle of maple syrup, lots of coffee and tea, and good conversation!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!