Name: Baked French Toast with Croissants and Berries
Prep time: 130 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 8 people
Ingredients: 8 croissants (, cut in half lengthwise); 2-1/2 cups milk or half and half; 6 large eggs; 1/2 cup light brown sugar (, lightly packed); 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup California Giant Berry Farms strawberries (, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces); 1 cup California Giant Berry Farms blueberries; powdered sugar (, for dusting baked casserole); 1 cup pure maple syrup; 1 tablespoon dark rum, (optional)

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This Croissant Baked French Toast has been sponsored by California Giant Berry Farms. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Don’t miss two generous giveaways Cal Giant is sponsoring for the holidays, including the Staub covered baking dish featured in this post! Details below.

I can hardly believe that a year as passed since I started my Brand Ambassadorship with California Giant Berry Farms. 2017 has flown by, and what a delicious year it has been!

Today, I have the perfect recipe for your holiday breakfast and brunch menu: berry-studded Croissant Baked French Toast. This decadent French toast casserole combines buttery, flaky croissants with a rich spiced custard, and sweet, juicy strawberries and blueberries.

But, wait, there’s more! For an adults-only add on, I like to serve this baked French toast with a drizzle of rum-spiked maple syrup. It’s the perfect finishing touch for a breakfast that has “holiday” written all over it!

Baked French Toast with Blueberries and Strawberries

Berries are such a great way to bring color and flavor to a variety of dishes throughout the year, and especially during the holiday season. Even at the beginning of December, the non-GMO strawberries I picked up from Cal Giant were picture-perfect. Isn’t their vibrant color festive?

I’m constantly adding berries to my breakfast recipes, from pancakes and waffles, to French toast, yogurt parfaits, and porridge. In this Baked French Toast recipe, I utilize fresh berries twice, layering them between the custard-soaked croissants and scattering them on top of the casserole.

As the French toast bakes, the berries will plump and intensify their flavor. If you have especially juicy berries, like Cal Giant’s, a few will burst, creating a sweet, jammy consistency around the edges of the casserole. So. Good.

Making Overnight Baked French Toast with Croissants

Baked French Toast can be made with just about any bread you love, from French bread to brioche, and even a Christmas panettone. I love to use croissants for an ultra-luxe breakfast treat.

As tempting as it is to eat croissants when they’re brought home fresh from the bakery, it’s best to use day-old croissants in this recipe. They’ll soak up the custard better and yield a better textured, puffed French toast that isn’t too soggy.

This Baked French Toast casserole can be fully assembled the night before serving and baked in the morning. It’s perfect for an effortless Christmas morning breakfast. Just take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and pop it in the oven while you and your family are opening presents.

California Giant Berry Farms’ Stocking Stuffers Giveaways

Cal Giant is running two generous giveaway promotions to celebrate the holiday season, until December 31, 2017!*

First, the Stocking Stuffer Sweepstakes. Enter to win one of 6 prizes including a $100 Visa gift card, a cast iron skillet, a KitchenAid mixer, a blender, a Fitbit, or Cal Giant’s Farm, Family, and Food cookbook! For more details and to enter, click HERE.

For Striped Spatula readers exclusively, Cal Giant is running a second giveaway for one of my favorite kitchen items, the Staub 4-quart stoneware rectangular covered baking dish. ($100 value)

This baker from the iconic French cookware brand is featured in the photos in this post. It’s perfect for making this baked French toast recipe, as well as cozy casseroles, bread puddings, and even lasagna. Enter to win by clicking the graphic below, or THIS LINK.

(The landing pages for both sweepstakes will look similar. If the URL has “striped-spatula” at the end, you are on the page for the Staub baker giveaway. If not, you’re on the page for the Stocking Stuffers Sweepstakes. You’re welcome to enter both for double the chances to win something this holiday season!)

Thank you, Cal Giant, and Happy Holidays!

*Striped Spatula is not responsible for the terms or fulfillment of the giveaways.

More recipes featuring California Giant Berry Farms:

Strawberry Chipotle Glazed Ham
Whipped Goat Cheese and Herb Dip
Lemon Cream Mixed Berry Tart
Blackberry El Diablo Cocktail