This baked croissant French toast is made with leftover croissants, bourbon and chocolate chips, and can be prepared the night before for an easy overnight breakfast bake!
For some reason, I keep finding party trays of croissants marked down at my local grocery store. At some point, inspiration struck — what better use could there be for slightly past-peak croissants than French toast?
Buttery, flaky croissants are a perfect choice for soaking up custard, especially once they're a few days old.
In this variation, I added a splash of bourbon to the custard, baked the French toast (rather than cooking on the stovetop), and topped with chocolate chips. It reminds me of pain au chocolate.
Here's how to make this easy but decadent breakfast treat!
Why Bake French Toast?
Baked French toast allows for prep the night before, meaning that in the morning there is practically no extra work involved. Just allow enough time to pop it in the oven, and then get out your syrup!
Want more baked French toast ideas? Make it with apples, with pumpkin, with eggnog, or over a campfire!
How to Make Baked Croissant French Toast
Start by chopping up the croissants into bite-size pieces.
Place the croissant pieces in a large casserole dish. Next, mix up milk, eggs, brown sugar, and bourbon in a bowl to create the custard.
Pour the custard over the croissants and stir it around a bit to make sure everything is coated.
Cover the dish, and let the bread soak for one hour or more (or overnight!) in the fridge.
When you're ready to bake the French toast, top it with chocolate chips.
Cover the dish with foil and bake the French toast for about 25 minutes; then uncover it and finish baking for about the same length of time. It should be a nice toasty golden color when it's done!
For serving, you could go extra decadent and bring out some chocolate syrup, but good old maple syrup is wonderful too.
Baked Croissant French Toast with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 6 croissants Stale, dried-out bread works best. Use more if croissants are small.
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 ounce bourbon Use 2-ounces for a boozier French toast
- ⅛ cup chocolate chips
- maple syrup or chocolate syrup, optional
Instructions
Prepare the French Toast:
- Cut the croissants into rough 2" cubes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, brown sugar and bourbon.Add croissant cubes to a large casserole dish. (A 9"x13" dish or a 10"x10" dish work well.)Pour custard over the bread and stir to combine. (Some liquid will remain in the bottom of the casserole dish). Cover and place the casserole dish in the refrigerator.Soak the bread at least one hour, or overnight.
Bake the French Toast:
- Preheat oven to 350º F.Scatter the chocolate chips over the French toast.Cover the French toast with aluminum foil, and bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, until the bread is golden. (Total baking time 45-50 minutes.)
- Serve warm. Top with maple syrup or chocolate syrup if desired.Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the fridge.
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