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I bet you didn't know this but today is National French Toast Day! I have no idea where they come up with these food holidays, and why they chose today to be french toast day but I’m glad they did! With Christmas coming up, I wanted to share a festive Christmas breakfast recipe and today is the perfect day to do it!
I was always a #teamfrenchtoast kid growing up, and even though I found buttermilk pancakes to be breakfast-crack, I always loved and appreciated the warm cinnamon and maple combination that’s in french toast. It’s something I had so often for breakfast on the weekends and can remember a few Christmas mornings waking up to the smell of cinnamon, butter and maple syrup. mmmm!
Now that I’m out of the house and technically “grown” I decided that this Christmas we’ll play up the french toast game a little bit. Eggnog is something that I simply cannot do without during the holidays, and when I say eggnog, I’m really referring to the unmarked, random milk jug full of goodness in the fridge labeled “not for kids”. So I decided to spice up my french toast this year with an eggnog dip and add a bit of bourbon to the accompanying raspberry sauce that I love so much.
With french toast being such a quick and easy recipe, the added cook time for the sauce is virtually nonexistent. The raspberries reduce down really quickly and can be whipped up in no time. If you don’t like the seeds, you always have the option of straining the sauce so that you’re left with a smooth consistency, although I personally prefer the crunchy seeds.
I always try to use either challah or brioche (and sometimes French) bread in my french toast for a number of reasons: 1. I like thick sliced toast and regular sliced bread is much too thin for me so I like the fact that I can cut the slices myself. 2. They have a light, buttery texture to them and crispy up perfectly when pan fried and 3. The texture of the bread also allows for super absorption of the eggnog mix so you get the maximum flavor!
And that’s just about all there is! There’s really not much to this recipe at all which makes it perfect for Christmas morning! Just dust with a little powdered sugar to give it that festive charm and enjoy with the ones you love most!
- 8 thick slices of brioche or french bread
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup eggnog
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. butter
- powdered sugar for garnish, optional
Bourbon Raspberry Sauce- 6 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1-2 tbsp raw sugar
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp water, or as needed
Instructions- Beat eggs in a large, shallow bowl then add eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and vanilla. and mix well.
- Melt butter in a skillet set to medium heat. (1/2 tablespoon per 2 slices of bread). Dip bread slices in eggnog mixture, making sure to coat each slice completely. Cook coated bread slices in skillet until both sides are and even golden brown.
- For sauce, rinse raspberries and place in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar, water and lemon juice and cook until raspberries start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add in bourbon and continue cooking until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
- Remove sauce from heat and serve on top or on the side of french toast. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.
DetailsPrep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 slices