Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

I gonna go ahead and tell you now: This is NOT on your diet. But it is completely delicious. Blueberries, cream cheese, and a hint of maple syrup, all smothered in a velvety, sweet blueberry sauce. AND...it's easy to make. I have three oven baked french toast casseroles that I rotate when cooking breakfast for a crowd and I can't possibly pick a favorite. There's the casserole that uses actual sliced french bread and is soaked in eggs and real cream, laced with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with a crunchy brown sugar-pecan crust, there's my Stuffed Bananas Foster French Toast, and then there's this. What they all have in common is that you can make them the day before, refrigerate them overnight, and breakfast is as easy as popping them into the oven for your company in the morning. Love that!

To make this casserole, just remove the crust from 12 slices of white bread and cut it up into cubes. Spray a 13 X 9 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the bread in the bottom of the dish. I doubled the recipe this time, hence the two dishes in the picture.



Now cut up two 8 oz. packages of cream cheese into 1 in. cubes. Drop the cream cheese cubes over the bread cubes. Sprinkle a cup of blueberries over the top.



In a mixing bowl, combine a dozen eggs, 2 cups of milk, and 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Pour the mixture over the casserole. Now cover and refrigerate overnight.



I like to make the sauce for this dish ahead as well. It re-heats just fine the next day. First, stir together a cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a medium sauce pan. Add in 1 cup of water and stir until smooth. Heat to boiling and stir for 2-3 minutes.



Pour in a cup of blueberries, then simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the blueberries start to burst.



Turn off the heat and stir in a tablespoon of butter.



The next morning, pop the covered casserole into a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the casserole is golden brown and the center is set. Serve topped with the re-heated blueberry sauce.



Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

12 slices white bread, crust removed and cut into cubes
2 packages cream cheese, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 cup blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)

Place bread cubes in a greased 13 X 9 inch casserole dish. Place cream cheese cubes evenly over the bread. Sprinkle blueberries over the top. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and syrup. Pour over the casserole. Refrigerate overnight. Set out of refrigerator while the oven pre-heats to 350 degrees. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and the center is set. Top with blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Sauce:

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon butter

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add in water, stirring until smooth. Heat to boiling, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add in the blueberries, return to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes or until the blueberries begin to burst. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter until melted.


To download or print this recipe click HERE!