Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

There is a bit of prep work for this recipe, but you can make the filling (minus the strawberries) and even the batter the night before to speed things up a bit. Make sure you stir the batter every now and then or all your spices will sink to the bottom... I might know this from experience. :)


Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Filling:
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-2 tsps sugar
2 Tablespoons strawberry preserves or jam
1 1/4 cup diced strawberries
1 loaf French or Italian bread
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Egg Batter:
6 large eggs
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

Breading:
2 cups crushed Cornflakes
1 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of butter and the cream cheese until combined. Add the strawberry preserves and mix until incorporated. Fold in the diced strawberries into the cream cheese mixture.

Cut bread into thick slices (about 1 inch thick). Make an incision on the crust side of the bread about 3/4 of the way through. You're creating a pocket to stuff the cream cheese mixture into. Gently spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture (the small white spatuala that Mandy introduced us to works great for this!) into each of the 4 slices of bread and gently close the pocket. Refrigerate the stuffed slices while you prepare the batter and breading.

For the egg batter, add the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, vanilla, and milk to a medium shallow bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare the breading by adding the crushed cornflakes and almonds to a sheet pan or a shallow bowl. Dip the bread slices in the egg batter making sure to let each side soak for about 20 seconds. Next, dip them into the cereal mixture.

Heat a griddle to about 325 degrees. Cook each side of the french toast for about 2-3 minutes or until medium brown. Serve with maple syrup on top.