Baked French Toast Cups

Whether you are making these for brunch for a crowd or a small family breakfast, these Baked French Toast Cups are simple to prepare and fun to eat. Sponsored by Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs™.

Breakfast is one of  those meals I do not skip. In fact, I usually eat breakfast right after I get up in the mornings. I love all kinds of breakfast foods, too, from savory to sweet: omelettes, bagels, french toast, cereal. My husband and kids are not the same as me. So I typically eat breakfast alone. I don’t mind really. I find this time relaxing and meditative. I sit there and sip my morning tea and listen to the world wake up.

When my kids were little, our mornings would explode from complete silence to total chaos. There would be a stampede of tiny feet trampling down the stairs. The house would be filled their laughter and giggles. Fights could erupt with a wrong look if one of those angels woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

On the weekends, I would try to sleep in and my babies would crawl into bed with my husband and I, if they weren’t there already. I always attempted to go back to sleep, but my husband would start talking to them, then the talking would evolve into giggling and then a wrestling match would proceed.

All before 7am.

If I wanted sleep, I would get up in a huff and stomp off to my daughter’s room, which was far away from the heart of the craziness and mayhem. But despite my exhaustion and lack of sleep, I relish those mornings and memories.

Today, our morning chaos is a bit different. During the week, there is the rush in preparation for school. On the weekends, if the boys aren’t camping, there’s the rush to a Boy Scout event, bike ride or book signing. If we are home, the kids saunter off to the computer, television or iPad to relax.

Our king-sized bed is lonely, so we call out their names and they come visit us. Our bed gets filled up faster, as they are bigger. The Professor is now a giant and is taller than me. He thinks it’s funny. I just want to cry. The visit still ends in a wrestling match except now my bed gets totally destroyed in the process.

Next year I will have three schools to juggle, with each kid in a different stage of life. With my eldest starting high school, I will savor these mornings my husband and I have them all home. These are precious times, a priceless jewel I will hold close to my heart.

This Mother’s Day, my boys’ will be making me breakfast – but, not in bed. Their Boy Scout troop will be holding their annual breakfast for us mums. I don’t think they will be making us French Toast Cups, but I’m sure whatever they serve will all be made with love, and that’s enough for me.

I make these for my kids from time to time. They are simple to make. You can make small cups by pressing the egg soaked bread in a greased cupcake pan. For a larger cup, I press two slices of bread in a popover pan. They bake quickly in the oven, so have your fresh fruit on hand and fill them up.

Baked French Toast Cups

Author:

Laura Bashar

Whether you are making these for your kids before school, or for a crowd during brunch, these French toast cups will delight everyone. Recipe by Laura Bashar of Family Spice

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs, large
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 8 slices of whole wheat bread
• 8 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 4 oz raspberries
• 4 oz blackberries, fresh
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Apply non-stick spray to the inside cups and to the top of a 6-cup non-stick popover pan.
3. In a shallow bowl whisk together:
• 8 eggs, large
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
4. Cut along the diagonal, from the center to one corner of each slice of:
• 8 slices of whole wheat bread
5. Dip bread into egg batter, one at a time.
6. Flip bread over to soak other side of bread.
7. Remove bread from egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back in the bowl.
8. Press one slice of bread into a cup of the popover pan, filling up one side of the cup. Add a second soaked slice of bread into the same popover cup, filling up the other side of the same cup.
9. Bake the toast cups for 20-25 minutes, until they're light golden brown. You want them to be lightly toasted, but still moist, so don't over-bake. If the tops start to brown too much before the rest of the cup is finishes baking, top loosely with foil.
10. Allow the cups to cool slightly in the muffin pan before removing them. You might need to use a fork to help lift them out of the pan.
11. While the French toast cups are baking wash:
• 8 oz strawberries , hulled and sliced
• 4 oz raspberries
• 4 oz blackberries, fresh
12. When toast cups are cool to, remove from the muffin pan. You might need to use a fork to help lift them out of the pan.
13. Place baked cups on serving plates and fill with fruit. Serve warm with:
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Notes:

Serving Suggestions: Great for breakfast or brunch. You can also top with almond slices, toasted walnuts or pecan pieces. Top with whipped cream or cottage cheese.

Cooking Tips: You can also make smaller French Toast Cups by pressing one slice of egg soaked bread into a muffin pan. Reduce baking time to 15 minutes. See below for this version. Top picture shows larger cup with two slices baked in a popover pan.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Yield: Serves 4

Cook Time: 20 mins

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Life is short, so hold your loved ones tight and share a laugh or two together.

Disclosure: As I am part of the Darling Dozen, I did receive a stipend from Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs™ to develop a recipe using their pasteurized eggs. The story I have written is all true, and the opinions are truly mine. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t blog about it.