This is the best French Toast I've ever had... Ever! Make this and you'll be a brunch rockstar. The best part? It's super convenient the morning of because almost all of your prep work happens the night before. Here's how I do it.
Ingredients
12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (use french bread - I used 1 big loaf about the length of my fingers to elbow)
12oz. (1.5 bars) cream cheese
1tsp. cinnamon
few dashes nutmeg
3 Tbl. milk
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 pint fresh blueberries
10 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
Syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
In a small bowl, blend the cream cheese, milk, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to make the cream cheese filling.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with quarter-size dollops of cream cheese mixture.
Sprinkle 1-pint blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl (or blender), mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup.
Pour over the bread cubes. And sprinkle some additional cinnamon over the top. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue to bake 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter. Drizzle over french toast and serve the rest to spoon over individual servings.
