Never waste croissants again. Instead of tossing out your croissants that are past their peak, use them to make some awesome Orange Croissant French Toast. Revive the buttery and flaky goodness, and have a scrumptious breakfast!
Christmas is coming…..and with that, Christmas Breakfast, my favorite meal of the whole year!
Somehow, when I was growing up, this was the anticipated event of Christmas day (for me at least), even more than opening the presents! We usually got to check our stockings, and then everyone was off to the kitchen to help prepare the big Christmas breakfast feast! I’m talking juice, hot chocolate, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, eggs, hash browns……basically everything that your heart could fancy! We had the good old standard dishes. We then we liked to try something new as well. What can I say? We loved breakfast around my house. (Still do.)
Well, this Orange Croissant French Toast would definitely fit the bill as something new and unique, but still easy, to add to the lineup.
Using croissants for french toast was inspired by a simple IHOP outing. Now, I don’t really go out to breakfast restaurants a lot, but a couple years ago, my husband and I were doing a little 14 hour road trip (bleh) and decided that we should start the day off with something a little more reasonable instead of just loading up on junk food for the whole ride. And that’s when I saw croissant french toast on the menu and I thought, hey, I love croissants, and I love french toast. This should probably be good. And it wasn’t just good, it was fantastic.
In fact, this food epiphany has now been one of the greatest ideas to salvage my day or two old stale croissants that I inevitably have whenever I buy them. You see, I just love croissants and so I have to buy a humongo package when I get them (especially because they are a better deal in bigger package, right?), but then, after eating like 4 croissants in one day (4? talk about more like 8….), I’m like, dude, you’d better stop Christina.
Now I don’t have to feel bad the next morning (or even the next, next morning) when I have to throw the remainder away. Instead I whip up a batch of these Orange Croissant French Toast. They are amazing! The little bit of moisture added to the stale croissant restores it to all of its former glory. The result: a flaky, spongy, and divine fixation in your mouth.
These french toast are a breeze to whip up. The added orange with cinnamon and nutmeg is perfect for this season. Never have stale croissants go to waste ever again!
Orange Croissant French Toast
Ingredients
- 5-6 in croissants 1-2 days old, cut half lengthwise
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 drops orange extract optional
- zest of 1/2 orange
- ground cinnamon to taste
- ground nutmeg to taste
Instructions
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Preheat a large pan or griddle to medium heat. Coat with butter or spray with cooking spray (I prefer butter as cooking spray tends to leave gummy build-up on griddles over time).
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In a large bowl (I use a broad-based Tupperware for easy dipping access), whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, extracts and orange zest.
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Dip each side of the croissant into the egg mixture, letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
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Place on griddle, and repeat with rest of croissants.
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Sprinkle desired cinnamon and nutmeg spices over croissants on the top uncooked side before flipping.
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Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
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Serve with powdered sugar, maple syrup, a little more orange zest on top or whatever your heart fancies!
Recipe Notes
Change it Up:
Don't have any orange extract (or even zest)? Add in a few tablespoons of orange juice get that bright citrus flavor. (You can add a little extra if you want to make it more potent - just don't make the batter so thin that it doesn't coat your bread).
Eliminate the orange and substitute a few drops of almond extract in its place. Top with strawberries and cream.
Dress it Down:
Keep this really basic by eliminating the orange and any/all of the spices.
What’s your favorite breakfast food to have on Christmas morning? Tell us in the comments below!
(This post was originally featured on capturing-joy.com)
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I want this now…like NOW.
I want this all day every day! Definitely give it a try Michelle.
Loving this brunnh idea. My prob is, I never have any left over croissants! #glutton #willBuyExtra