Overnight Berry French Toast Casserole

Step up your breakfast game with this easy and delicious berry French toast casserole. The juicy berries, pockets of melting cream cheese and crunchy almond streusel combined make a delightful wake up for your tastebuds.

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I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, the best way to start the day is with a hot breakfast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Breakfast together as a family has always been a thing at our house, and I will be forever grateful for that!

My mom usually makes breakfast, but my sister and I each have one day a week when it’s our turn to make breakfast. And if you know me, you know I won’t just set cereal and milk on the table. I will make egg casseroles, chilaquiles, biscuits, muffins, cinnamon rolls, French toast, anything but cereal. French toast casserole is one of our favorites, especially when it involves cream cheese and berries.

I know that in many households, breakfast is not such a big deal — many people don’t even eat breakfast. But hey, I won’t judge you for making this casserole for lunch or supper. It’s good any time of the day!

I’ve tried French toast casseroles that have a distinct eggy flavor and it just kind of downplays the whole dish. But this recipe only calls for 5 eggs, which I’ve found to be the perfect amount to get that custardy texture without tasting too much like eggs.

How to make berry French toast casserole

1. Start by cutting your bread slices into bite-sized cubes. For French toast casseroles it’s actually a good idea to use drier bread. So if you’ve got some not-so-fresh bread sitting in the pantry, this is your chance to use it!
2. Layer half of the bread, cream cheese chunks and berries into a casserole dish. Repeat layers.
3. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon and salt, then pour over the casserole.
4. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
5. Remove the casserole from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Putting a chilled glass dish in a hot oven can leave you with an explosion of glass shards.
6. Mix the almond streusel and sprinkle it on the casserole. (You can mix the streusel ahead of time too and store it in the fridge until ready to use.)
7. Bake the casserole until the top is golden, 35-45 minutes.
8. Serve hot or warm.

A few things I love to use for this recipe:

• 9×13 glass baking dish — The dish pictured is one I found in a thrift store. Stoneware/ceramic baking dishes tend to be expensive but here’s one in case you’d like to check it out — Ceramic 9×13 Casserole Dish
• Pastry blender — this kitchen utensil is one I use almost every day. It makes blending cold butter into dry ingredients a lot easier.

Berry Cream Cheese French Toast

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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 12 ounces homemade bread, cut in cubes
• 6 ounces cream cheese, cut in small cubes
• 8 ounces fresh or frozen berries (I used raspberries and strawberries)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• For the streusel:
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons butter, cold
• ¼ cup slivered almonds

Instructions

1. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer half of the bread cubes, cream cheese chunks and berries in the dish. Then repeat layers.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and salt until smooth. Pour over the bread in the dish. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
3. In the morning, remove the casserole 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
4. In a small mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon for the streusel. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender, two knives, or using your fingers, until pea-sized crumbs form. Mix in the almonds. Sprinkle over the casserole.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until top is golden.
6. Serve warm with maple syrup if desired.

Notes

For best results, use homemade bread. I like using french bread or just regular white bread. I've made a french toast casserole with the Bimbo brand bread and it turned out very soggy. The drier the bread, the better.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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