It’s apparently been 2 1/2 years since the last time I made a baked french toast, which is crazy because it’s such an easy way to have a fabulous morning! This one is extra simple, and takes advantage of some chocolate peanut butter spread that happened to be on sale at my supermarket this week. The smell of baking chocolate is something I, not surprisingly, am a fan of.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf French bread
• Jif Whipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread* (you could use another chocolate peanut butter, but the whipped-ed-ness of this one makes it spread easily, which is handy)
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I only ever have skim)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• Syrup, butter, powdered sugar, or other French toast toppings.

Grease a 9X13″ pan. Cut the bread into roughly 1/2″ thick slices and spread a thin layer of the chocolate spread on one side of each. Realistically you could also use a thicker layer, but if you check out the nutritional information on that stuff, you’ll agree that a thin layer is plenty. Place the bread in the pan – cram it in there tighter than this picture shows, and feel free to use chunks when whole slices won’t fit.

With this many gaps, the bread basically floats away when you add the custard!

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla.

Pour evenly over the bread. You can press the bread down a little bit into the custard, to make sure it evenly soaks, but the bread has all night to absorb the custard so you don’t have to worry about it much.

Several slices more bread in here by now.

Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.

By morning, the bread is saturated, and the mixture doesn’t jiggle much anymore.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and uncover the pan. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes, until puffed and the top looks dry.

Cut into chunks, and serve topped with your favorite French toast toppings.

Rolling out of bed, throwing this in the oven for long enough to catch up on some show from last night, and then having breakfast ready for you is pretty grand, I must say!

*Jif’s not giving me money or products (especially not after I called out how fatty this stuff is?!), I just found this stuff on sale, and it’s delicious. I should do something with it and strawberries?…

Chocolate Baked French Toast

• 1 loaf French bread
• Jif Whipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• Syrup, butter, powdered sugar, or other French toast toppings.

Grease a 9X13″ pan. Cut the bread into roughly 1/2″ thick slices and spread a thin layer of the chocolate spread on one side of each. Place the bread in the pan, tightly filling the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla.

Pour evenly over the bread. Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and uncover the pan. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes, until puffed and the top looks dry. Cut into chunks, and serve topped with your favorite French toast toppings.