Here's a little confession: I'm the kind of cook who rarely checks if I have ingredients before starting. It drives my husband absolutely bananas, but hey – some of our favorite family recipes have come from these "creative moments" of necessity!
Our Christmas Morning Blueberry French Toast is one of those traditions that perfectly captures my cooking style. We've found ourselves making this recipe at 2am — frantically working together so we can get to bed before the kids wake up. Or if we forget the night before, its fast enough to make in the morning, yes you can put it straight into the oven after assembly no need to soak overnight.
Sometimes it's amazing, sometimes it's a bit different from last year, but it's always made with love and a healthy dose of improvisation.
Here's how the magic happens:
- Grab some French bread (slightly stale? Even better!)
- Do the usual French toast prep – you know, eggs, milk, splash of vanilla
- Here's where it gets fun: In a deep baking dish (think lasagna-sized), spread out frozen blueberries
- Sprinkle some cornstarch over the berries until they look slightly white (Pro tip from my kitchen disasters: Less is more with cornstarch. Trust me on this one!)
- Now, about sweetener – the original recipe calls for maple syrup, but here's my take: skip it! The berries are plenty sweet, and you can always add syrup later. Plus, do our kids really need more sugar? 😉
- Layer your soaked bread on top of those berries
- Pop it in the fridge overnight (this is when I usually cross my fingers and hope it works!)
- Christmas morning: Oven at 350°, bake for about 35 minutes... or until it looks done-ish
- The grand finale: Flip it onto plates berries-side-up because, let's be honest, it looks prettier that way
What I love most about this recipe is that it's one of my mom’s recipes (that’s actually her handwriting in the red - mine is the black ink). There's something magical about prepping it the night before (usually while wrapping those last-minute gifts) and then letting it bake while the kids open their presents — and I don’t miss out on any of the morning festivities from in the kitchen.
And if it turns out a little different each year? Well, that's just part of our family's story now.
If you're like me and tend to "wing it" in the kitchen, I'd love to hear about your cooking adventures! What's your favorite "it worked out somehow" recipe?
