French Toast on the Go

When I think about French toast, I can picture myself as a grade-school-aged kid in my aunt and uncle’s crazy-busy kitchen. I’m wearing my PJ’s, swinging my feet from the bench seat at their kitchen table, and there is breakfast chaos all around me.

These relatives have six kids – all older than me – so, their house is always buzzing with activity when we visit. And on top of all of us family from out of town, the cousins’ friends are always coming and going – joining us for card games or meals. So, how do you feed that many hungry kids and teenagers in the morning? Lots of French toast! At home we usually ate regular French toast, but here the cousins add extra cinnamon, or top their French toast with peanut butter. And naturally, we young cousins want to be cool like them.

Now that we are grown and many of those cousins have families of their own (you met one of those families when I shared about Movie Night Munchies for Ella’s special visits), we don’t share breakfasts very often. But, whenever I prepare French toast in my own home, I think of those fun weekends with the cousins. One treat that recently jogged these memories was the recipe, Maple French Toast Muffin. It’s fabulous because it’s French toast in a single serving! These would have been perfect for those busy teenage cousins bolting out the door.

Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F. Then prepare the French toast topping. Remove the crusts from 6 slices of cinnamon-swirl bread, then cut the slices into one-inch cubes. Toss the bread cubes into a medium-sized bowl, with the milk and beaten egg. Use a spatula to fold the cubes over so they get coated with the milk and egg, but don’t lose their shape. Set the bowl of topping aside.

Grab two other bowls. Use one to combine the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In the other, combine the milk, melted butter, beaten egg and maple flavoring. Once each bowl is mixed together, add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients.

Mix all ingredients until a batter is formed.

Grease 12 muffin cups, then evenly distribute the batter into each cup. Top with a spoonful of the French toast topping, and pat those bread cubes down a little so they stick to the batter. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

When the muffins are looking golden brown, pull them out of the oven.

As soon as the muffins are removed from the oven, brush the tops with maple syrup.

For the finishing touch, sprinkle the top of the muffins with cinnamon and sugar. Allow the muffins to cool for five minutes before removing them from the pan.

Finally, serve up your muffins with a calming mug of tea or grab one as a quick breakfast as you dash toward the door!

Try these Maple French Toast Muffins on your own or with a “slew” of relatives, then rate and review the recipe.

Like cinnamon? Come back in a few days when Liz will share a classic Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe.

Amanda is paid to write for the Land O’Lakes Recipe Buzz® Blog.