Croissant Baked French Toast

Name: Croissant Baked French Toast with Cinnamon Apples
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 300 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter ((one stick)); 4 apples peeled, cored, and diced (any types of apples work); 1 cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 6 croissants, cut into 2 inch pieces ((or a dozen mini croissants)); 5 large eggs; 1 ½ cups half and half; 2 teaspoons vanilla; ¼ teaspoon salt; maple syrup and powdered sugar for serving (optional )

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Croissant Baked French Toast with Cinnamon Apples is the tastiest and easiest recipe to serve at your next brunch, special breakfast, or for Christmas Morning. Don’t miss this incredible make-ahead recipe!

Croissant Baked French Toast on a white plate with a striped napkin underneath.

If you’re looking for something really special to serve at your next brunch or for Christmas Morning, you can’t beat this incredibly delicious and easy Croissant Baked French Toast with Cinnamon Apples. Plus, the entire dish can be assembled ahead of time and baked the morning of to give you a stress-free and tasty breakfast casserole that everyone will love.

If you love easy overnight breakfast casseroles, be sure to check out Panettone French Toast Casserole – perfect for the holidays! Baked Eggnog French Toast Casserole is another holiday favorite made with day old bread, custard, and eggnog.

And, if you happen to see day old Italian bread at the store, you’re going to want to grab it so you can make Cannoli Baked French Toast!

Table of Contents

Why this Recipe is the Best!

This Croissant Baked French Toast is truly tasty enough to serve on the most special occasions, like Christmas Morning. Put together the night before and don’t miss a minute of the gift opening and family time while this dish bakes in the oven.

Adding the cinnamon apples really elevates the flavors of this dish giving it that warming apple pie flavor. The croissants take it to an almost bread pudding level, without being too mushy.

Croissant Baked French Toast with cinnamon apples on a white plate with maple syrup drizzled over it.

You would think a dish like this would take forever to make, but the assembly is really quite simple. And you don’t need to spend a lot of money on it either. Days old croissants work great and you can get them at your grocery store for a discount.

Ingredients

The ingredients for Croissant Baked French Toast are: day old croissants, butter, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, eggs, half & half, and vanilla.

Croissants: You want to use day old or stale croissants for this recipe. The croissants need to be a bit more dry than fresh croissants so it can soak up the liquid without getting mushy.
Apples: Granny Smith apples are always a great apple to cook with because of how well they hold up when they are cooked. However, feel free to use whatever apples you have on hand.
Half & Half: This is a common store item in the dairy section that is literally half milk and half cream. You can substitute whole milk here if you wanted to save some calories.
Toppings: Before serving, I like to sprinkle this dish with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

How to Make Croissant Baked French Toast

This make-ahead casserole will need at least 4 hours to chill before baking. You will need a 9 x 13 baking pan or casserole dish to make the french toast in.

process shots showing how to make recipe including peeling apples and pouring custard over the bread.

Step 1: Start by peeling and dicing four apples. You can use whatever apples you have on hand. Here I did the Granny Smith apples because I like how they hold up when cooked.

Then, place the apples and a stick of butter in a large skillet. Cook the apples over medium heat for about five minutes until they start to soften.

Once the apples have begun to soften, add in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Next, you will need to prepare the custard for the dish. Whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, and salt.

Step 3: Cut the croissants into bite-sized pieces. You will need about six large croissants, or a dozen mini croissants. You want enough to fill up the baking pan about half way.

Pour the custard mixture over top of the croissants. Press down on the croissants to make sure that they are all coated in the custard.

Step 4: Lastly, pour the apple mixture overtop of the croissants being sure to evenly cover the top of bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Croissant Baked French Toast in a white serving platter.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes. You will know the French toast is ready when the custard is set and the sides being to pull away from the pan.

Let sit five minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

You can make the cinnamon apples ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to assemble the french toast.
Be sure you are using day old or stale croissants here. You can dry out fresh croissants by cutting into pieces and baking at 250 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.
Let the french toast sit covered in the refrigerator for at least four hours before baking.
Whole milk can be used instead of half & half.
Serve with maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar.

How to serve croissant baked French toast

Before serving, drizzle the top of the dish with maple syrup and serve extra on the side. For an extra special touch, dust the top with powdered sugar. You could even serve this dish with fresh whipped cream on the side. Croissant Baked French Toast is great on its own, or served with fresh fruit.

What to make with day old croissants?

Baked Croissant French Toast is the perfect dish for using up any day old croissants. In fact, they older more “stale” croissants work even better here than the fresh. A good tip is to get the discounted croissants from the grocery store. Stores will discount the croissants a day or two after they are put on the shelves. So if you see them in your store, be sure to grab them for this Croissant Baked French Toast recipe!

croissant baked french toast on a white plate with apples in the background.

Easy Overnight Breakfast Casseroles

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