There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.

Stuffed French Toast       

 Several years ago, on one of my trips abroad, I met this guy named Jon.  He was an interesting, humble dude with so much salt that he had to push super sweet meals like this to counter.  We worked together and ended up living next door to each other for several months. One morning, I saw Jon feeding another co-worker by the front entrance.  I grinned and began walking towards the two wondering what he was doing, which is exactly what I asked once I made it to them.  He responded with, “this French toast I made, want a bite?” I declined at the time. But shortly after, Jon and a few guys were at my place indulging in one of the best French toast meals that I’d ever had.

              Jon also enjoyed cooking, or at least seemed to, so there were several “science project” type meals that were created in our kitchens (like Reese’s pancakes with chocolate syrup).  One of his Cajun meals actually inspired a chicken and rice recipe that you can find here.  I think it’s fair to say that some of my kitchen creativity was created during this time, as well as some of my skills and tricks; especially considering the amount of food network that I binge watched while there. 

Why this Stuffed French Toast is a game changer

              Fast forward to my return home, where I decided to throw a party.  A girl showed up that instantly, for reasons still unknown, became the center of my world.  The biggest problem was that, for reasons definitely not related to alcohol consumption, I could not, for the life of me, remember her name! Luckily, our paths crossed again a few weeks later.  We began dating and the very first thing I ever cooked for her was this recreation of a delicious stuffed French toast that I had recently learned to make through a friend (Jon).

              On our fifth wedding anniversary, I decided to call Jon and tell him that his French toast recipe (with a little help from my Boston Terrier) helped me convince this angel to marry me. Today, it is still one of my wife’s favorite breakfast meals.

 

How to make Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed French Toast is essentially a sandwich that is battered and fried like French Toast.  You spread cream cheese on one slice of bread, fruit preserves on another, then place the slices of bread together just like you would a PB&J.  Dip the “sandwich” in  the egg mix, toss it in the buttered skillet until golden brown, and enjoy!

Ingredients for Stuffed French Toast

This Stuffed French Toast recipe is incredibly simple but, as with most easy recipes, the result depends on the quality of ingredients. You will need:

• Bread
• Cream Cheese
• Jam/Preserves
• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Butter or Oil

What bread do I use for French Toast?

In this house, we typically use whatever we have for French toast, but brioche or homemade sourdough are by far our favorites for this recipe. While I love sourdough and it is my overall favorite bread, brioche has the edge here.

 

Tips for Making the Best Stuffed French Toast

The best part about this dish is that it is only limited by your creativity.  You can change the bread type and/or the flavor of preserves to give this thing your own vibe.  We like to use brioche or homemade sourdough stuffed with whipped cream cheese, fresh fruit, and homemade preserves.  And we’ve used almost any type of jam/preserve that tickle our fancy…..apricot, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, elderberry, blueberry, you name it!!!

There are a few tips to keep in mind when making this recipe that can drastically impact the turnout:

1. Stir the eggs, cinnamon, and sugar before every dip. If not, you’ll find that some of your French Toast will be full of flavor and others will have a dominant egg taste.
2. If you do choose a bread such as brioche or sourdough, soak for approximately 5 seconds. This type of bread just works better, trust me.  If you use any other bread, which is fine, just make sure to not soak it in the egg mix for as long.  This will help avoid over-saturation.
3. If homemade jams/preserves aren’t an option, give these brands a try: Dickinson’s Preserves, Santa Cruz, Stonewall Kitchen, Polaner.
4. Don’t be afraid to rotate the toast. I know plenty of people that are “one and done” when it comes to flipping food.  With this Stuffed French Toast recipe, I find that three flips are the number of flips for me, with thirty seconds between each flip. It helps prevent burning the toast and provides a more even, through cook.  
5. Top with fresh fruit and powdered sugar.

Stuffed French Toast Fillings to Try

Freshly sliced  or muddled fruit between the whipped cream cheese and preserves will crank the sweetness up a bit as well freshen up the dish. They work great as toppings, too!  You can also fry bananas, like in the Banana Burrito recipe, and use those with cream cheese as filler. 

Syrups for Stuffed French Toast

While the girls could give Buddy the Elf a run for his money (or in this case, syrup), I tend to shy away from it for this Stuffed French Toast.  It is sweet enough as it is, especially when topped with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, and a touch of honey. If you do use syrup though, a little maple syrup should do the trick. If you are just using blueberries, try this blueberry maple syrup. Caramel syrup is amazing over Banana Stuffed French Toast.

Other Breakfast Recipes:

Easy Breakfast Corn Dogs

Salmon Hash

Healthy Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Mexican Hash

Yield: 2

Jon's Stuffed French Toast

Print

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously
filling Stuffed French Toast. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bread
• 2-4 tbsp whipped cream cheese
• 1-2 tbsp fruit preserves
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

1.  Set up your station. Beat egg, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a square bowl that is large enough to fit your sandwiches.

Tip: Make sure to stir immediately before dipping the bread in or all your flavor may go to the first one and leave you with a fluffy fried egg taste on the rest.

Place the skillet on medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter. Allow butter to melt and spread over skillet. You will repeat this step for sandwich number two.

2. Make your sandwiches:

Think of this like you're making a PB&J except you're subbing whipped cream cheese for
the peanut butter.  Spread the preserves
on one slice and the cream cheese on another. 
Put those two slices together and……. Voila!!!

3. Place your sandwiches in the egg mixture,
letting each side soak for about 5 seconds on each side.

4. Remove from egg mixture.

5. Add sandwich to skillet and cook each side to
golden brown. 

6. Move sandwich to plate and cut in half,
diagonally.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with fresh fruit or
drizzle with your favorite syrup (optional).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 744Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 350mgSodium: 643mgCarbohydrates: 90gFiber: 4gSugar: 43gProtein: 19g