By Katie Gagne
I love putting unique twists on traditional favorites. Making French Toast using croissants is something you just have try. These make a wonderful brunch dish to serve with the holiday season fast approaching.
I have my usual recipe for French Toast here but keep reading for some fun and festive ideas on how to make this typical dish a new favorite.
Perfect French Toast
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 large Croissants
- 6 large Eggs
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 cup Half and Half
- 2 tablespoons Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Vanilla
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
- (Optional for dusting)
Directions
- Prepare custard mixture to dip the croissants in: whisk eggs, heavy whipping cream, half and half, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon together. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
- Cut croissants in half and let sit to become slightly stale for an hour or two. This helps them absorb the custard without getting too soggy.
- Place croissants in a shallow dish or bowl and pour the custard mixture over and let sit for 5-6 minutes
- Place 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet and heat on medium.
- Once the butter is melted, place several croissants in the pan and cook on each side for 1-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Place on a plate or keep warm on a baking sheet in a low oven until ready to serve.
- Repeat until all the croissants are cooked.
You can serve them the traditional way sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with butter and syrup.
Now here comes the fun part: you can serve these with different fruits or change the flavor profile.
Warm Apples
Slice Granny Smith (or your favorite variety) Apples and warm them in a medium saucepan with some sugar and cinnamon. Serve these with or on top of the French Toast Croissants.
You can do the same with peaches or blueberries.
Adult Versions
- Add ¼ cup of Jameson Orange or Crown Apple to the apples as they cook for a more adult version.
- In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat stir a ¼ cup of Jameson Orange or Crown Apple and 1 cup of sugar and heat until a thick syrup forms and serve that over the croissants.
- Make some homemade whipped cream by whisking ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of Baileys or Baileys Pumpkin Spice and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream.
- Add 2 tablespoons of Baileys or Baileys Pumpkin Spice to the custard mixture used to coat the croissants.
You can create non-alcohol infused versions of these as well.
- Add Pumpkin Pie Spice to the custard or whipped cream.
- Add 1/3 cup of Pumpkin Puree to the custard mixture.
- Add Orange Juice or Apple Cider to flavor the cooked fruit or syrups.
Cook up those recipes and check out more Cooking Up a Hooley in the Kitchen here!
Katie Gagne
*Katie is an English teacher at Trinity High School by day and in her “spare” time runs her own at-home baking business, Sassy’s Sweets and Oh So Much More, specializing in gourmet cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and pastries. She can be reached at [email protected] or (440) 773-4459
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