I’m helping to organize the food for a big breakfast for the women’s ministry at church next weekend.  I’ve been knee-deep in breakfast casserole recipes and while reading the umpteenth recipe for overnight french toast, I had an epiphany.  Instead of mixing together cubes of bread, eggs, milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, etc. and baking it in a big pyrex, couldn’t you take an ice cream scoop and scoop up the mixture and bake it in muffin tins?  Wouldn’t that be fun, pretty and easy to serve?

I’m here to tell you.  YES IT WOULD!!! Introducing French toast muffins or FTM’s. I thought about calling them Fruffins but that sounds too much like something you might do when you pretend to be sick at work just to go home early.

I searched the web to see if my idea was out there.  I found lots of recipes for French Toast Muffins but they all started with a typical muffin batter with the addition of egg and milk soaked bread cubes on top.  You end up having to make a muffin batter and a batch of overnight French toast.  At my age, it’s all about simplicity baby.  Especially when you’re cooking breakfast for guests. Make this up the night before and next morning scoop into muffin tins and you will be a star to everyone in your house.  I promise!  You don’t have to measure any flour with this recipe.  And, there’s no sugar or butter in it.  AMAZING!

These puff up all golden and gorgeous, light and delicious.  Serve with some crisp bacon, fresh fruit and hot coffee and you will be one happy little princess!

And if you come up with a good name for these please leave it in the comments section.  I’m sure there is a better name than FTM’s!

I started with a nice day old loaf of Challah bread.  Use any kind of bread you like.  My personal opinion is that Challah makes the best French toast.

Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes.  You’ll need 12 cups of bread.

Ingredients for FTM’s: Milk, half and half, cream cheese, eggs, pure maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.

Add milk, half and half, syrup, vanilla and cinnamon to cream cheese and eggs.

Add cheese/egg/milk mixture to cubes of bread in a large bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator over night.

Next morning, use an ice cream scoop to fill the well of each greased muffin tin.

Before baking.

After baking.  All golden and puffy.  Aren’t they beautiful?

A hot French Toast Muffin drizzled with maple syrup.

Kitchen Princess French Toast Muffins – Ingredients

24 servings

• 12 cups of bread cubes.  I used one large loaf of day old Challah bread. Or, use day old French bread cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
• One 8 ounce package cream cheese
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kitchen Princess French Toast Muffins – Method

1. Place bread cubes in a large bowl.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
4. Stir in the milk, half and half, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon until mixture is smooth.
5. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes.  Press the cubes down to make sure all are saturated with the milk/cream cheese mixture.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
7. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350.  Grease 2 muffin tins.
8. Remove bowl from fridge and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
9. Use an ice cream scoop and put a nice scoopful in each well.
10. Bake about 15 minutes and rotate the muffin tins.
11. Bake another 15 minutes until muffins are puffed up and golden brown and insides are set.  Test by inserting a knife into a muffin.  It should come out clean.
12. Remove from muffin tins and serve with warm maple syrup.
13. Serve these babies hot!

Princess Tips

• I made a plain batch and then I tried adding sliced apples sauteed in butter and brown sugar to the bottoms of some of the muffin tins. When you take them out, you have to turn the muffins over to see the apples.  I think next time I’ll chop the apples and put them right into the batter.  And maybe add a whisper of nutmeg.
• I also tried adding golden raisins and chopped pecans to another batch with a little brown sugar sprinkled on top.  Yummy!
• You could add fresh blueberries with a little grated orange peel or bananas sauteed in butter and brown sugar.
• I think these would be terrific if you went savory rather than sweet.  I can’t wait to try them with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.  Boy-Howdy!
• You could easily use a loaf of gluten free bread if you have a gluten allergy.
• If you’ve never used 100% pure maple syrup, give it a try.  It’s more expensive than Log Cabin or Aunt Jemima but it’s so much better tasting and so much better for you. Plus, a little goes a long way.  Try it, for me!
• You can also make these as one big French Toast Casserole.  Make your bread and egg mixture and place it into a greased 9 x 13 pyrex baking dish.  Let it sit in the fridge overnight.  Take it out 30 minutes before baking and then bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until all golden brown and puffy and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

This one has pecans and golden raisins added to it.  I really like the toasty flavor of the pecans and the added sweetness of the raisins.

I would really love to hear your variations on these.  Don’t forget to comment if you come up with a better name than I did.  I’m certain you can!