Blackberry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Really all I want to share is that you need to have this Blackberry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. Or Christmas morning. Or any holiday morning. Or birthday. Or…well you get my drift right? We not only love this immensely for the great breakfast dish it is but that love is quadrupled because you make it the night before and in the morning just pop it into the oven while folks gather in the kitchen for one of those wonderful family moments. Or even if you’re alone; which is not all bad because than it will be yours and yours alone.

I’ve made this for years using the recipe from ‘Colorado Collage’ – part of a series of cookbooks put out by the Junior League of Denver and until recently I’ve never messed with success however I wanted to make this for a breakfast dish when I had some girlfriends over for a slumber party (oh yes we did!) and I didn’t have quite the ingredients I needed so I punted and loved this version just as much. The big difference was in the cheese; I thought I had a couple of packages of cream cheese in the refrigerator but I was so wrong so this version uses a blend of cream cheese and goat cheese and we loved it. A lot. I also used blackberries instead of blueberries for the fruit and it was another great fit. I can see this with a variety of berries, so just use what is in season and/or what you love.

While I have always loved serving this Blackberry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast on holiday mornings especially because of the ease that comes from that ‘night before prep’ thing; the truth is that I didn’t get that done this past weekend and ended up making it the same morning that I baked it. I let it sit for about 15 minutes so that the bread could absorb some moisture before we baked it but given the right circumstances and a bit more time, there was no discernible difference with the fabulous end result. If you’re not a fan of goat cheese; no problem. Simply use all cream cheese. But do serve it with the homemade blackberry syrup; it is most definitely an ‘oh yum’ moment!

Blackberry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast   Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 1 hour 10 mins Total time 1 hour 20 mins   A great make ahead dish the night before for a special breakfast. Author: Barb Serves: Serves 8 Ingredients For the French Toast:

• 1 loaf French bread, sliced and cubed
• 1 8-oz. packages cream cheese, cubed
• 3 ozs goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup blackberries
• 12 large eggs
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Blackberry Syrup!

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh Blackberries, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup

Instructions To Make the French Toast:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease13X9" baking pan.
3. Place half of the bread cubes evenly in pan.
4. Scatter cream cheese cubes and crumbled goat cheese on top and sprinkle with blackberries.
5. Arrange remaining half of bread cubes on top.
6. Combine eggs, syrup, milk and vanilla and pour over bread mixture.
7. Cover with foil and chill overnight.
8. Bake covered 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 30 more minutes until puffed and brown.
9. Serve with Blackberry Syrup

To Make the Blackberry Syrup:

1. In small saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and water and heat over medium high heat.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until thickened.
3. Add 1 cup of Blackberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
4. Add butter and stir until melted. Add maple syrup and stir to combine. Mash berries or use a stick blender until syrup is smooth. Strain seeds if desired. Transfer to a small pitcher or serving bowl.
5. Place French Toast on individual serving plates and top with Blackberry Syrup.

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