Make-Ahead Eggnog Creme Brûlée French Toast with Bourbon Whipped Cream.
Otherwise known as, the perfect Christmas morning breakfast! Hello eggnog french toast!
I rarely ever share a sweet recipe first thing on Monday morning, but it’s December. It’s 2020! All bets are off. I’m sharing all the things I can to bring joy!
And I’d like to be making this eggnog french toast weekly until Christmas. It’s DIVINE.
This recipe combines so many of my favorite things!
First, creme brûlée french toast. This recipe was first introduced to my family over 11 years ago by my brother’s wife, then girlfriend! She made this one Saturday night and we ate it Sunday morning and it was TO DIE FOR.
I mean, it basically solidified her place in the family. She always uses challah bread for the recipe, but I’ve discovered that you can also use brioche. It’s just as good!
Second, eggnog! I’m an eggnog lover, but I think it’s a nostalgic thing. Now, I don’t think I could really sit and drink a full glass of eggnog. Having a small glass, like a few sips, reminds me of when we would start to decorate the tree when I was growing up. It takes me right back!
I love the actual flavor of eggnog – and we all know I love eggnog lattes. Eggnog cinnamon rolls are a close second.
A full glass can be a bit much, but any treat flavored with eggnog is exactly where I want to be.
Next, bourbon whipped cream. I mean, do I NEED another reason?
Fresh, soft whipped cream with a drop of bourbon for the best garnish. And it melts into the hot french toast and is incredible. That may be my actual favorite part – the melting of the bourbon whipped cream. Holy cow. It’s delish.
Finally, make ahead breakfasts. OH YES.
Especially when it comes to the holidays! I always want to have something wonderful for my family on Christmas morning, but I don’t want to have to do the work to make it happen. You know? Especially because we always have a LATE christmas eve with our family. That won’t be happening this year, but I still want to have a relaxing evening at home. The best part about this french toast is that you can prep it the night before and stick it in the fridge!
In the morning, take it out of the fridge, bake it, and serve. You could even make the whipped cream the night before if you’d like and refrigerate it.
Seriously, it doesn’t get easier and more delicious than this!
This dish is out of this world because of the caramely bottom – it’s so indulgent and rich. At the same time, the bread is light and fluffy and flavored with a hint of eggnog. It all comes together so incredible well and tastes fantastic. People flip over it!
And there is seriously nothing better than preparing something this special the night before then getting to wake up to it!
I love to top mine with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and the bourbon whipped cream. Pomegranate arils add a nice little pop of color and tart flavor too. And if you want syrup, of course drizzle it on! I actually find that this is perfect without syrup, but I’m also not a syrup fanatic.
It is serious breakfast perfection.
Eggnog French Toast
Eggnog Creme Brûlée French Toast
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 loaf brioche or challah bread, sliced into 1-inch thick pieces
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups eggnog
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier®
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup pomegranate arils, for garnish
- powdered sugar for sprinkling
- maple syrup for serving
bourbon whipped cream
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Arrange the bread in the baking dish in a single layer - it’s okay if it slightly overlaps each other. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, vanilla extract, orange liqueur, cinnamon and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread, making sure it’s all covered. Use a spoon if needed to drizzle the mixture on the bread. Cover the dish and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Remove the dish from the fridge about 30 minutes before you’d like to bake it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the french toast uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with the bourbon whipped cream, pomegranate arils and syrup for topping.
- Note: I have made this without refrigerating it in moments of brunch desperate. It still works and tastes great. Not quite as wonderful as when you let it soak overnight, but still very good!
bourbon whipped cream
- Beat the cold heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add in the bourbon and sugar and beat until soft peaks form. If you want to make this the night before, beat until stiff peaks form and then store it in the fridge, covered in a bowl.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Holiday dreamin’!
17 Comments on “Make-Ahead Eggnog Creme Brûlée French Toast with Bourbon Whipped Cream.”
Jess, I love when you do those recipe lists (ex: Super Bowl, Thanksgiving, etc.). Please put together a post of your make-ahead breakfast recipes!
:)
Jess, can I substitute eggnog for milk? Family does not like eggnog. This looks delicious!
Good Lord have mercy, this French toast is over the top scrumptious. My partner and I made this tonight for breakfast for dinner and he was wowed. Best French Toast ever came out of his mouth and the Bourbon Whipped Cream was the perfect compliment. Can’t say enough good things about it.
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Made this last night and it was amazing! What size loaf of bread did you use? I had a 14oz brioche and it seemed like the liquid to bread ratio was a little high, even after the chill time in the fridge. We just cooked it longer and it still turned out great!
I’d like to know the answer to this as well. I bought a loaf of sliced brioche from ALDI and I’m not sure if I should use the whole thing or just six-eight slices.
i used the whole loaf from aldi! it was 14 slices :)
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I just made this (without the alcohol) and OMG it is delicious! The brown sugar mixture on the bottom wasn’t crunchy like a brûlée, but is reminiscent of the yummy brown sugar & butter goo inside a cinnamon bun. I used brioche bread cut into 1′ pieces as the recipe suggests and it makes all the difference. I was a little hesitant about adding pomegranate, but did so for presentation and I think it made the dish. The tartness of the pomegranate nicely cut through some of the sweetness. I could actually taste the eggnog in this recipe. LOVE!
I love eggnog, but I should have realized how sweet the brown sugar on the bottom would make this. I would make this without the brown sugar coating, it is just too sweet.
This was THE PERFECT breakfast for Christmas ! I do have a question… is the brown sugar mixture meant to get hard or crispy? Ours did not. As another mentioned it was more like cinnamon roll than brûlée . Nonetheless it was delicious
Excellent! Used the St. Pierre brioche bread and a really good quality egg nog. Made sure that each piece was well saturated and refrigerated overnight. Served with maple syrup and raspberries and blueberries. Will defintely make again!
Made it for Christmas morning, and it is absolutely perfect. My husband and mother, who do not like French Toast, couldn’t stop eating it. You don’t need maple syrup, it is sweet enough on its own – the pomegranate arils didn’t really add much to it, so its ok to skip it.
So Delicious makes a VERY yummy non-dairy egg nog that doesn’t need to be refrigerated until after you open it. I’ll be stocking up on it to make this yummy dish throughout the year!