I wish you could see how excited I am right now!!

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I made us apple butter FRENCH TOAST STICKS!! Oh my gosh!

I know that some of you might be like, why the heck is she so excited about french toast sticks? BUT… these french toast sticks are so special and SOOO freaking delicious… they’re one of my favorite things ever to make for the fam.

Ok, well maybe not ever, but man I love these. First things first though. I feel like to get the whole feel for this recipe you NEED to watch the video below. To date, this is one of my favorite videos that my brother Kai and I have made. It’s quick and simple, and that drizzle…and that dunk…and that super sweet ender.

Just watch… ?

Did you see the drizzle? Literally, perfection, right?

And then the dunk? And then cute little Asher at the end?? I mean, I know it’s a quick video, but I think it gets the point across! 🙂

OkOK, so real talk! I’ve always, always loved french toast sticks. Granted, up until I made this recipe I probably hadn’t had them since I was in third grade, but I sure have had thoughts about them over the years. Did anyone else grow up with frozen french toast sticks? You know, the ones you’d throw in the microwave and in sixty seconds they were warm and perfect?

Well I surely did, and my brothers and I loved them. In fact I honestly think my oldest brother Creighton still buys them on a regular basis. That kid is never going to fully grow up… maybe that’s ok.

My point is, french toast sticks have always been something I’ve loved. I may have stopped eating the store-bought ones, BUT homemade?

Um, those I will very happily eat… daily. 🙂

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestApple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

You know what’s so weird?

I think about the way I grew up versus the way my little sister Asher is growing up and they are SO different. I loved being a kid and having all brothers, and man, I even loved dad’s chicken and rice dinners. And I obviously LOVED mom’s cookies and cakes. DUH.

But it’s weird because Asher has grown up so differently. In a way, it’s almost as though she’s the only child. But what’s even weirder than that, is the way my family now eats, it’s so different. Seeing as my mom had her hands completely full with six kids, and my dad worked all day, she would buy a lot of frozen foods. I give her MAJOR credit though because for as busy as our household was, we actually had healthy home-made lunches, and home cooked dinners pretty much every single day, but breakfast and after school snacks where either frozen waffles, french toast sticks, toast, bagels or cereal. My brothers ate so many frozen pizzas, popcorn, chicken and chicken fingers. Since I was that odd kid, I never got into the frozen meals, but I did love french toast sticks and waffles… which may explain my obsession with sweet brunch recipes…oops.

Asher though? I don’t think she’s ever even tasted a frozen french toast stick or waffle. And man, burgers or chicken fingers… nope! She’s never even had fast food or a soda (but she lives on sparkling waters!). When I started cooking for them family, there really wasn’t a need for that stuff anymore, and even after I moved out, they never went back to shopping that way. Granted most of the food I make still gets shared with my family, but I think it’s pretty cool that I sort of changed their eating habits a bit…

Only a bit though. We all still love our occasional indulgences, and my brothers for sure continue to eat frozen pizzas and chicken fingers… probably on the daily.

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

ANYWAY, I’ve been saying for the longest time that I would attempt to make homemade french toast sticks and I finally did, that is why I am beyond excited.

Clearly.

So here’s the deal. When I first attempted these, I pan-fried them, and to be honest, is was a huge pain in the butt. They kind of just fell apart. So then, I tried baking them. I totally thought they would be dried out and not all that awesome, but I added some butter to the baking sheet and you guys… they were so delish!

Seeing as fall starts next week, I decided to I take things a step further and add a couple spoonfuls of apple butter and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, SOOO FREAKING good. Like whoa, really, REALLY GOOD!

Sorry, but all caps are so necessary.

The best part about these french toast sticks is that they truly are so easy and so convenient. You can bake a big batch in less than thirty minutes. Then just throw any leftovers into the freezer for super easy and crazy delicious weekday breakfasts…or save them for the weekends, whatever you prefer.

It really just doesn’t get any better. Like for real.

My entire family, some friends, and even my neighbor Vern – who was lucky enough to grab a stick before they vanished, all agree that these are quite possibly the best breakfast food ever (or snack or dinner or anytime/anywhere food). Soo yummy!

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Here’s what’s super important to know….

While the apple butter and cinnamon sugar are not a must, they are honestly what makes these french toast sticks special… like no other. The apple butter adds a hint of cider flavors. And the cinnamon sugar? Well, you all know that’s almost always a good thing to add. 🙂

The other equally important ingredient?

Maple Syrup… only the real stuff, and lots of it!

Got it? Get it? AWESOME!

Now, can we all go watch that video one more time and continue being mesmerized by that drizzle of maple syrup? Then this weekend (or NOW works too), let’s get our butts into the kitchen and make a double batch of these french toast sticks?

Sound like a plan?

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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4.7 from 10 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Apple Butter French Toast Sticks.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: french toast

The best part about these french toast sticks is that they truly are so easy and so convenient

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 24 French Toast Sticks
Calories 86 kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 slices thick cut Texas toast sliced into 1 inch strips
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons apple butter * pumpkin butter would be great too!
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted or cut into cubes
  • 2-4 tablespoons cinnamon sugar*
  • maple syrup for serving
  • fresh apples or berries for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cut each slice of bread into three "sticks". In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in the apple butter.
  3. One at a time, dip each bread stick into the egg mixture and toss to coat. Remove, allowing any excess to drip off back into the bowl. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bread. Brush each french toast stick with a little butter (or a few small pats around the sticks). Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15-10 minutes, or until lightly golden, flipping halfway through baking.
  4. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Recipe Notes

*If you cannot find apple butter or prefer to not use it, it can be omitted from the recipe.

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Perfect. Happy Friday! 🙂

Apple Butter Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest