Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Overnight Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

Ever since my children were little, this overnight casserole has been our Christmas morning breakfast.

For years, we were able to celebrate Christmas as a family even though we were divorced. I know I am not the only person in the world to do this, and quite frankly, it isn’t always the best possible solution to a divorced family situation, but we made it work for years. Every family is unique in navigating the holidays and I was fortunate to be able to make Christmas special for our kids despite the fact that our lives looked differently.

This casserole was as much a part of our Christmases as was a special luncheon, finding the pickle (German tradition),my mother-in-law putting on her Christmas socks to signal the present opening could begin, and the general celebratory traditions that happen in a family during a holiday.

It wasn’t until my father was diagnosed with cancer that I determined I would be spending Christmas with my parents instead of Pennsylvania, meaning the day would be spent without my children that year. It was a difficult choice, but one I was glad I made. It ended up being my dad’s last Christmas.

After that, I guess we celebrated Christmas like other divorced people, or as Ricky Bobby’s kids say in Talladega Nights, “Two Christmases!”

When the children and I finally moved into our own place,  I wondered if they would still want this for breakfast, since it would be our first Christmas in our own home.

Again, this year being the first Christmas that had no Pennsylvania in the agenda for the week, I wondered if we wanted to try something new.

But, I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is Christmas for us.

I make this casserole one day a year. Once. Probably because we all eat our own thing for breakfast and for the most part, it doesn’t ever include maple syrup or cinnamon and sugar and cream cheese.  But hey, this once a year treat is over the top indulgent and worth every bite.

You basically dry out the bread of your choice. I use Italian bread from the bakery. Not the denser star bread, just a regular loaf. I use two. Trim off the crust, cube, and set out to dry. I do the cutting first because if you have ever tried to saw into a stale loaf of Italian bread be ready to wipe down every surface to clean up the crumbs. No thanks.

The pan is prepared with a layer of butter and cinnamon sugar coat, then it is time to assemble.

Bread, blueberries and cream cheese, more cinnamon sugar, then the last layer of bread.

The custard mix can be made with milk instead of cream, and it doesn’t need bourbon, but hey, this is a breakfast fit for a birthday party. Slowly pour your custard over the bread to make sure everything gets good and soaked, Final dusting of cinnamon and sugar and you are done. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

So I am not going to lie, this Christmas was a little heavy. We have suffered a major loss, and having navigated this kind of thing with losing my own dad a few years ago, the weight of the worry “Are the kids going to be ok?” and “Is everybody having a good Christmas?” along with my making sure my momma enjoyed the day and everyone was ok, I didn’t want to spend my day in the kitchen. I had enough to deal with.

I made this AND pre-cooked my bacon the day before. SO, less mess, less cooking for me.

Overnight Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

The next morning, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Bake covered, then uncovered, then let sit for a few before serving.

So here is the tricky part for you parental units doing the cooking. Do the math. You need to have this baby out of the fridge a good 90 minutes before you want to eat it.

Now, for me, the non-sleeper, this is easy. For you with small children who have internal timers of their own, you have to figure it out. However, you can make this any morning you want, so just plan ahead.

This recipe makes a full 9×13 pan. It can serve as many or as few people you want, depending on portion size. It also stays pretty warm for a while, so if you say have a serving, walk away, and decide you want more…it’s there if you want it. While this is baking your house will smell of cinnamon and all that is French toasty-ness. It puffs up golden brown and holy moly is it delicious. Crunchy top, soft puffy middle, melty cream cheese and blueberry. We don’t even need to add syrup…but you will, because it is, after all, French toast.

In a world where so much seems to change and seem unstable, I guess it’s a good thing some things, like this overnight French toast, can be counted on. I am thankful for the table, the loved ones around it, and the food upon it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

Overnight Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

Print Recipe

Delicious overnight blueberry cream cheese French toast with a cinnamon sugar mix. Easy to combine and bake the next morning!

• Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 Loaves of Italian Bread, Cubed and Dried
• 12–16 Large Eggs
• 2 Cups of Heavy Cream
• 2 8 Ounce Packages of Cream Cheese, Cubed into 3/4 Inch Cubes
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/4 Cup Bourbon
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
• Additional Sugar and Cinnamon to sprinkle in baking dish, etc.

Instructions

1. Prepare a 13 x 9″ baking pan with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix.
2. Place half of the cubed bread into the bottom of the pan.
3. Sprinkle blueberries and cream cheese evenly over the bread cubes.
4. Sprinkle Cinnamon and Sugar mix over the cream cheese and blueberries.
5. Cover with remaining bread cubes.
6. In a large bowl, combine eggs and heavy cream, mixing with a fork or whisk until well combined.
7. Mix in maple syrup, bourbon, and vanilla extract.
8. Gently pour egg mixture over bread mixture, making sure to cover and coat all of the bread mixture.
9. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture over top of the French toast and cover with plastic wrap.
10. Refrigerate overnight.
11. In the morning, remove overnight French toast and let sit out for 30 minutes.
12. Preheat oven to 375*
13. Remove plastic wrap, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
14. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes uncovered, until a knife inserted into French toast comes out clean.
15. French toast will puff up and turn golden brown. It will also smell amazing.
16. Allow French toast to set for ten additional minutes before serving.