Croissant Almond French Toast Bake recipe makes for a sweet and easy brunch

A big thank you to Mother Nature for making August so mild. You can almost smell fall in the early morning air, which makes me so happy. As lovely as summer can be, the drop in temps brings an incredible relief from the heat. And it also makes me want to bake.

This week’s recipe is for Croissant Almond French Toast Bake. Years ago, I made french toast with individual croissants. But as we age, we get wiser. It’s much simpler to chop up the croissants and throw them all in the oven at once.

I made this recipe for some friends who came for brunch on Sunday. The rest of the menu was quite simple: bacon, a peach and berry fruit salad, and caprese salad with fresh pesto. A bit of prep the night before made day-of cooking quite simple and not stressful at all. That’s the goal when entertaining – to be able to enjoy hosting your guests, not to be stressing out until they arrive. We had a lovely morning brunching and sipping coffee.

You can prep by cutting the croissants ahead of time and putting them in a glass baking dish. Mix the wet ingredients in a plastic bag and store in the fridge overnight. Simply cut an edge in the bag the next morning to pour over the croissant pieces, then bake according to recipe.

I hope you enjoy this one. It’s simple, satisfying and delicious. And it seems like we could all use a bit more at-home brunching these days.

Croissant Almond French Toast Bake

8 large croissants, cut into 1-inch cubes

1½ cups heavy cream

6 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup brown sugar, packed

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together cream, eggs, almond and vanilla extract and salt. Add croissant pieces in and mix well. Pour mixture into 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Top with sliced almonds. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve with maple syrup.

This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 5:11 PM.