Blackberry Croissant French Toast Bake is an easy make ahead breakfast recipe with crispy croissants and the sweet flavors of berries and cream.
Sweetened cream cheese and blackberry stuffed croissants soaked in cinnamon custard and baked until light and fluffy with a crispy browned top. Everything you love about classic French toast in a delicious, overnight breakfast casserole!
Make ahead brunch recipe
Light, delicious and able to be made ahead of time this is the perfect breakfast or brunch recipe! With a slightly sweet custard-like interior and a crispy, crunchy top with berries swirled throughout.
Similar to bread pudding but with a firmer texture and crispier browned top and taken up another notch with flaky berries and cream stuffed crosisants and whole berries dotted throughout. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of sweetened greek yogurt (or whipped cream!) and even more berries. Perfection.
Ingredients
- Croissants – either day old stale croissants or toasted fresh croissants in place of the typical French bread or brioche. Feel free to substitute sliced bread, biscuits, French bread, brioche, challah or even cinnamon rolls for the croissants.
- Blackberries – fresh or frozen. Or substitute blueberries, raspberries or any other similar berry you have available. Or even substitute diced peaches for Peaches and Cream French Toast Casserole.
- Blackberry jam – or any other fruit jelly, jam or preserve you have.
- Eggs
- Whole milk – or substitute with any other alternative milk or dairy product. If using heavy cream increase the amount of eggs and whisk very well to add a little airiness.
- Cream cheese – softened.
- Granulated sugar – or substitute maple syrup, honey or your favorite sweetener.
- Confectioner’s sugar –a little dusting of powdered sugar over the top makes for a nice presentation. And a few tablespoons stirred into the softened cream cheese adds just a hint of sweetness.
- Spices – Vanilla extract, cinnamon powder and ground nutmeg (optional).
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut day-old croissants in half lengthwise and evenly spread on a large baking sheet. Toast, cut side up, until crispy and browned about 3-5 minutes. Remove and cool. Note: if your croissants are extremely dry and stale there is no need to toast.
- Beat room temperature cream cheese with a few tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth.
- Smear one half of each croissant with sweetened cream cheese and a bit of blackberry jam. Do not worry too much about even coverage or covering the entire surface. Recombine croissant halves then cut into halves or thirds.
- Butter a roughly 8×8″ oven safe baking dish and layer croissant pieces in dish.
- Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, salt and spices together to form the cinnamon custard base. Pour over croissants and sprinkle on berries, reserving a few for serving.
- Cover french toast bake tightly with buttered foil and refrigerate at least 10 minutes up to 18 hours. It does not have to sit overnight and can be baked after only 10 minutes of soaking. But is best prepared 10 to 18 hours in advance to allow custard mixture to fully soak into croissants and ensure the best texture. Don’t go any longer than 18 hours or risk croissants breaking down too much and becoming a soggy mess.
- When ready to serve preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bake covered until puffed, no longer jiggly and completely set in the center, about 35 minutes for soft bread pudding like texture or 50 minutes or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
- Uncover and continuing baking until golden brown and crispy, 10-15 minutes longer.
- Cool at least 5 minutes then sprinkle with powdered sugar and scoop out individual portions and serve with a smear of blackberry jam and reserved blackberries. Sweetened yogurt or whipped cream optional.
- Enjoy!
How to serve
Serve French toast casserole with all sorts of breakfast and brunch foods!
- Blackberry compote, preserves or sauce
- Sweetened whipped cream, Greek yogurt, mascarpone or ricotta.
- Warm maple syrup
- Fresh fruit
- Sausage links, sausage patties or bacon
- Scrambled eggs
Yield
Based on on my Cinnamon Croissant French Toast Bake this french toast casserole is smaller sized for a smaller crowd. Rather than baking in a large 9×13 baking dish this french toast casserole recipe is baked in a roughly 8×8” baking dish and uses only only 4 eggs and 4 croissants. Perfect to serve two to four people. But can easily be adapted to serve 8, 12 or even more.
How to store
Make ahead and refrigerate up to 18 hours before baking. After baking wrap leftovers tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat French toast casserole cook in a low oven, microwave or air fryer until fully warm in center.
To freeze french toast casserole before baking wrap tightly with plastic or vacuum seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed. Or freeze individual servings on a baking sheet to freeze then transfer to storage bags and reheat as desired either in the oven, microwave or air fryer.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces croissants 3-4 large
- ½ cup blackberry jam
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar plus more for dusting
- ½ cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cut croissants in half lengthwise. Toast cut side up, until crispy and browned about 3-5 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Beat room temperature cream cheese with a few tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth.
- Smear one half of each croissant with sweetened cream cheese and a bit of blackberry jam. Do not worry too much about even coverage or covering the entire surface. Recombine croissant halves then cut into halves or thirds.
- Butter a roughly 8×8″ oven safe baking dish and layer croissant pieces in dish.
- Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, salt and spices together to form the cinnamon custard base. Pour over croissants and sprinkle on berries, reserving a few for serving.
- Cover french toast bake tightly with buttered foil and refrigerate at least 10 minutes up to 18 hours. It does not have to sit overnight and can be baked after only 10 minutes of soaking. But is best prepared 10 to 18 hours in advance to allow custard mixture to fully soak into croissants and ensure the best texture. Don’t go any longer than 18 hours or risk croissants breaking down too much and becoming a soggy mess.
- When ready to serve preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake covered until completely set in the center, 45-50 minutes.
- Uncover and continuing baking until golden brown and crispy, 10-15 minutes longer.
- Cool at least 5 minutes then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Scoop out individual portions and serve with a smear of blackberry jam and reserved blackberries. Sweetened yogurt or whipped cream optional.
Nutrition
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