There’s too much going on to make an early breakfast but when the presents are opened and the kids have settled down, they’ll be hungry. These French Toast Sticks are perfect. The kids will love them, and they are super quick and easy.
It’s like regular French toast but in sticks. And they’re filled. In these, if you look closely, you’ll see a layer of apple filling between the layers. It doesn’t have to be apple filling. Use your favorite or you can use your favorite jam or even peanut butter and jam.
Make a sandwich, cut it into sticks, dip them and cook them on a griddle. Notice that they’re cooked on all four sides. Put the syrup in ramekins and let the kids dip them and eat them like French fries with their fingers. Fun and yummy!
Now for some more favorite breakfast ideas.
Baked French Toast with Caramel Sauce
This works for Christmas. You can make it up the night before and stick it in the oven while the kids are opening presents. It’s easy and absolutely scrumptious.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
8 slices white bread
5 large eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla flavor
1 teaspoon butter rum flavor (or use a second teaspoon of vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
On the stovetop, melt the butter. Add the corn syrup and brown sugar and continue heating until the sugar has melted, and the mixture is smooth. Spread the hot syrup in a 9 x13-inch pan.
Arrange the bread slices in a layer in the baking pan, squeezing the bread to make it fit.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, flavors, and salt together.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Place the completed dish in the refrigerator overnight or up to three days.
Bake for 40 to 445 minutes or until the eggs are set and the toast is a pale golden color. Invert slices onto plates and serve hot.
An Omelet Bar
So, this is more work. But if you have the time, it’s worth it.
You prep all the food and stage it in bowls on the counter—cooked sausage, cooked and diced chicken, sautéed veggies, grated cheese—whatever.
Let people choose what they want and then cook them each a custom omelet. It’s quicker than you think. I use two 9-inch pans and turn an omelet out every three minutes or so.
Click for more information and step-by-step omelet directions.
Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches
You can make breakfast sandwiches like the fast food restaurants with biscuits, English muffins or pancakes. In this article, we’ll use biscuits.
Step 1
Make the biscuits. Use your favorite recipe or one of our recipes. (See our favorite biscuit recipe here.) Consider making your biscuits larger than normal. Leftover biscuits work fine.
Step 2
Make and fry the sausage patties. Unless you made oversized biscuits, you will need to make patties a little smaller. Of course, you can use bacon if you prefer.
Step 3
Fry the eggs. You need nice, round egg disks. We like scrambled eggs instead of fried eggs. When we use scrambled eggs, we mix the cheese right in with the eggs.
Step 4
Assemble your sandwiches. Place the eggs and sausage or bacon on a split biscuit. Add a slice of cheese if you prefer.
For your gluten-intolerant family members, try these. They’re amazing!
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup oatmeal (take care to use certified GF oatmeal)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter (half cube)
Mix the first four ingredients in your mixing bowl and let them sit while you mix the other ingredients in a separate bowl.
1 cup gluten-free flour (2/3 rice flour, 1/3 combination of either tapioca flour, potato starch, or other gluten-free flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (available in the natural foods section)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
(Optional – 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg)
(Optional – 1/2 cup flaxseed meal)
Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the oatmeal/liquid mixture.
Beat in 3 eggs
Add walnuts, coconut and if desired, flaxseed meal and mix well.
Mix thoroughly with electric mixer for a minute or so.
Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for about 13-20 minutes (depending on size) or until golden brown and firm.
Makes six jumbo muffins or 12 regular-sized muffins.
Enjoy the recipes and have a Merry Christmas!
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho. He loves to help people bake and shares his vast collection of cooking and baking knowledge on his blog as well as in his e-books and magazines. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.