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Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast is the perfect holiday breakfast. With thick pieces of bread, stuffed with a sweet cranberry cream cheese filling, then dipped in egg and fried until golden, this french toast recipe is definitely a keeper!
I love creating a fun and delicious menu for Christmas morning, and it always includes something sweet. This year, I’m making Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast! I’ll serve it with scrambled eggs, oven bacon and a fresh fruit salad. I can’t wait!
Stuffed French Toast
We all know French Toast is a classic breakfast food. The traditional version is on the menu of pretty much every diner you can think of. The basic recipe is just bread dipped in some whisked egg, usually with some added sugar, vanilla or cinnamon, then fried on a griddle until both sides are golden brown and just slightly crispy.
The idea of making a sandwich out of these slices of french toast is just pure genius. A few years ago, my original stuffed french toast was filled a sweetened cream cheese and topped it with strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup. Today we’re going to jazz it up and make it super festive for the holidays with my favorite holiday flavor – cranberry!
I love the tart flavor of cranberries and the combination of cranberry and orange. For this recipe you can make your own cranberry sauce or just simplify with a can of sauce. It’s super simple, but so classy and delicious. Your family will go nuts for this Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast this holiday season!
Cranberry Cream Cheese Filling
Like the original, we are stuffing our french toast with a sweetened cream cheese filling, only this time we are updating with a flavor explosion. You’ll want to use a hand mixer for this if you have one to get a super smooth consistency but a wooden spoon and some elbow grease will work too.
Gather your ingredients – cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and cranberry sauce. Beat everything except the cranberry sauce together until it’s nice and smooth, then use a spatula to fold in the cranberry. If you’re buying canned sauce (totally easy hack) make sure you get the whole cranberry sauce and not jellied.
How to Make Stuffed French Toast
- Spread the cranberry cream cheese filling on a slice of thick Texas toast style bread. Top with another slice of bread to form a sandwich.
- Whisk together eggs, sugar and cinnamon, then dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture to coat. Gently press down to soak up the egg, but not so much that the filling oozes out.
- Carefully place sandwiches on a hot, buttered griddle and cook until golden. Flip and cook the other side.
Stuffed French Toast Toppings
Top your cranberry cream cheese stuffed french toast with some maple syrup, whipped cream or even fresh sugared cranberries.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Use thick bread. Thicker bread will hold up better to the cream cheese filling. Texas Toast is what I recommend.
- Use the widest spatula you have for flipping. You don’t want the french toast sandwich dropping over the sides so the filling can spill out.
- Use a flat griddle if you have one, or a large skillet. Make sure that the stuffed french toast sits completely flat so all edges of the bread can brown.
Must Try Breakfast Recipes:
Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 package softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup whole cranberry sauce not jellied
- 12 slices of Texas Toast one loaf
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Lay the bread out on a counter for a half hour to let it dry out slightly. This will help keep it from getting too soggy when soaking up the egg mixture later.
- Beat together cream cheese until smooth then add the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency. Fold in the cranberry sauce.
- Spread a thick layer of cream cheese filling on one side of half of the Texas Toast. Top with a second piece of Texas toast, forming a sandwich with cream cheese filling in the middle.
- In a small bowl whisk eggs, milk, granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture to coat completely.
- Melt butter on a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Cook sandwiches until golden brown on both sides.
- Add a scoop of whipped cream topping or sprinkle tops with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use thick bread. Thicker bread will hold up better to the cream cheese filling. Texas Toast is what I recommend. And let it sit out for about 30 minutes to dry out before soaking in egg.
- Use the widest spatula you have for flipping. You don't want the french toast sandwich dropping over the sides so the filling can spill out.
- Use a flat griddle if you have one, or a large skillet. Make sure that the bottom sits completely flat so all edges of the bread can brown.
