Whole Wheat French Toast Muffins are the perfect way to serve individual sized French toast for a brunch or get-together. The homemade parchment cups make them easy to serve and holds the maple syrup.
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French toast is one of my husband’s favorite sweet treats while on vacation. Every restaurant has its own unique spin with stuffed versions or bananas fosters French toast. Some seem more like a dessert, yet the basics are still the same.
After his multiple requests to make French toast at home I finally took the hint when he dreamed up the idea of a French toast muffin. Of course I had to make it a bit healthier by using a seedy whole wheat bread!
What is French toAst?
I grew up eating French toast. It was one of those treats my mom would fix on a weekend morning. I probably wouldn’t have liked it if I knew how much egg was in it but with the cinnamon and maple syrup I gobbled it up.
It was actually a recipe that French immigrants brought over to America. The French word is pain perdu which translates to lost bread and was definitely intended to use bread that otherwise would be thrown out. This is the perfect recipe to use up any stale bread!
Is French Toast Healthy?
On its own French toast can be a healthier breakfast option. Usually it is the toppings that can quickly turn this breakfast into more of a dessert. If you look at the basic ingredients of the recipe which are bread, milk, and eggs it actually has a little protein. In order to make this an even better option I opted for a whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Because the grain for white bread goes through a refining process it removes the nutrients leaving you with not many health benefits. If you make the switch to whole wheat you can increase your protein and fiber. Just be sure to check your labels and make sure the bread you choose is made with whole wheat flour.
I was actually a little nervous making this switch in my house due to the fact my husband and mother in law are more accustom to their white bread. I was pleasantly surprised that my taste testers actually agreed that the whole wheat had a better texture and did not get soggy! That's a win to convert a 77 year old to wheat bread!
How Do you make french toast Muffins?
Traditional French toast is very simple to make and only requires a few ingredients. First you start with your bread of choice. There is really no right or wrong type. I simply like bread that will hold up and not get soggy so that is why I choose whole wheat. Plus it gives you a little healthier breakfast with extra fiber and nutrients. If your bread is not stale you can pop it in the oven for a few minutes or leave it on the counter out of its wrapper to help the process along. Stale bread just helps soak up the egg and milk mixture.
Secondly we need our soaking mixture which is a bowl of eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon. There are many opinions of which milk to use but I feel it comes down to what you like and have on hand. Once you whisk these ingredients together you are ready to make French toast.
How to assemble french toaSt muffins
French toast in muffin form is my twist on this traditional recipe. I wanted individual serving sizes that could all be made at one time. The problem with making French toast for a large group is having to tend the griddle and cook instead of being a good hostess and mingle with your guests.
The muffins allow you to assemble and pop in the oven. Plus with the muffin cup liners serving is a breeze! You can easily drizzle the syrup and keep it contained in the cups! A fun idea would be to set up a serving station with different toppings. I choose strawberries, cinnamon with powder sugar, and maple syrup. There are so many other options like chocolate chips, whipped cream, honey or pecans. This way your guests can create their own French toast muffins!
How to Prevent Soggy French toast
One thing I do want to point out is that this is not an overnight French toast recipe. I put the muffins in the oven right after I assembled them. Perhaps it could work but I will honestly say I haven’t had luck with overnight French toast recipes. They seem very soggy to me. Whenever I make French toast it is a quick dunk in the egg mixture and then straight to the griddle or in this case the muffin tin and straight to the oven! This will prevent soggy bread.
how to make muffin cup liners
Making your own muffin or cup cake liners is very easy and will give your French toast muffins a personalized touch. You will need parchment paper, ruler, pencil, scissors and a jar that fits inside your muffin tin.
With the ruler, measure a 5 inch strip of parchment. Measure and cut 5x5 inch squares. You’ll need 12 in total for your muffin pan.
Now take the parchment paper square and put it on the bottom of the jar that fits inside the muffin tin. Press the sides of parchment along the jar tightly to make creases. Now nestle inside each muffin tin. No need to spray with cooking spray. Your parchment liners are ready to be filled.
I can't wait till I have brunch so I can serve these cute little Whole Wheat French Toast Muffins to my guests! I know my friends and family will love them! They will be the highlight to the meal!
My Favorite Kitchen Tools!
Whole Wheat French Toast Muffins
Ingredients
French Toast Muffins
- 8 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into tiny cubes
Toppings
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup sliced berries, optional
Instructions
- Put cream cheese in freezer for about 10 minutes while preparing other ingredients. This will make it easier to cut into cubes.
- Cube 8 slices of whole wheat bread and place on a baking tray. Preheat oven to 350 and place bread in oven while preheating to dry out a bit. Stir every few minutes while preparing other ingredients. You can skip this step if bread is already stale.
- Line muffin tin with liners. See instructions above if you want to make your own. No baking spray necessary.
- In a medium sized bowl mix together milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Set bowl aside.
- Get cream cheese out of freezer and with a very sharp knife cut into tiny cubes. You should be able to get at least 24 cubes or more.
- When oven is heated bring bread out and put into large bowl.
- When you are completely prepped pour egg mixture onto bread and toss to get evenly soaked. Immediately start placing bread cubes into muffin cups and sprinkle a couple cream cheese cubes into cups. (I placed the cubes inside and put another cube of bread on top.
- Complete all 12 muffins. You may have a little egg mixture left. Throw out remaining.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for about 18 minutes. While baking prepare toppings.
- Mix together powdered sugar and cinnamon.
- Wash and slice berries.
- When you remove muffins from oven heat maple syrup in a microwave safe dish with a pour spout for about 30 seconds.
- No need to let these cool! Remove each muffin cup to a plate, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with maple syrup and top with berries.
Nutrition
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