Lazy weekend mornings are made for this caramelized Cinnamon Sugar French Toast. Light and airy cinnamon sugar french toast, made with a warming vanilla bourbon egg custard, nutty browned butter, and sweet cinnamon sugar. Every piece of toast is soft, buttery, and custardy inside, but crisp and caramelized on the outside with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar. Serve this french toast with whipped mascarpone and a drizzle of maple…beyond delicious.

It’s been so long since I shared a good breakfast recipe. No idea why, but I’ve been very into the cookies and cakes this month. However, something about this weekend really required a deliciously sweet breakfast. It’s been the longest week. I’m feeling like a lazy weekend breakfast is exactly what we all need.

Enter this french toast. It’s half cinnamon sugar toast and half french toast. And well, it might just be my favorite breakfast…because I will forever have a deep love for cinni-sugar toast.

Growing up, my brothers and I sure ate a lot of cinnamon sugar toast. It was my dad’s specialty and my personal favorite. He’d do his French toast up really simply, using whatever bread my mom bought that week. Then he’d use so much butter, and even more cinnamon sugar. Oh my gosh, it was good. Dad would always make his cinnamon sugar mix heavy on the cinnamon and lighter on the sugar, so that’s how I do mine too. And we loved it. You can never overdo it on the cinnamon in my opinion.

For whatever reason, I’ve been thinking so much about his cinni-sugar toast recently. So

much so that it ended up being the inspiration for this French toast. It reminds me of being a kid. When everything in life was stressfree, carefree, and my biggest concern was what outfit I was going to wear to school.

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Here are the details.

Like most French toast recipes, this is pretty simple to make and requires nothing fancy. I like to soak my bread slices in an egg “custard-like” mix. I always add a splash of both bourbon and vanilla. Using a small splash of bourbon really helps bring out the rich flavors of this toast and gives it something a little extra special.

So…soak the bread in the egg mix, then pan fry with a bit of butter until golden on either side.

Very basic, but then…

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast | halfbakedharvest.com

The cinnamon sugar.

Once you’ve cooked both sides of toast, you’ll want to sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Then simply flip the french toast over, cinni-sugar side facing down. As the french toast cooks, the sugars caramelize and turn the top of the toast into the most roll your eyes back delicious treat.

It’s similar to creme brûlée, in a way, but with the flavors of cinnamon sugar toast and just the slightest bit of crispiness.

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast | halfbakedharvest.com

And finally the mascarpone cream.

If you LOVE tiramisu, you’ll definitely want to make this whipped cream. It’s made with mascarpone cheese, which gives it the perfect light and creamy texture and the best flavor. Again, it adds something a little extra special to this French toast.

All it requires is just mascarpone cheese, whipped with cream, and a touch of vanilla. Seems so easy and simple, but do not let that fool you. It makes for the creamiest topping, and is perfect atop these french toast slices.

As soon as the french toast comes off the skillet, finish it with a light sprinkle of cinni-sugar, a dollop of mascarpone cream, and a drizzle of real maple syrup. Again, nothing not to love here.

When the whipped cream hits the warm toast it begins to melt over top and creates an even more custard-like french toast. The whipped mascarpone, in addition to the caramelized cinnamon sugar and sweet maple…mouthwatering! Sorry, cheesy, but I mean, I think you’ll agree.

Hoping so, because I really cannot stress enough just how good this French toast really is. My mom and causing Maggie said they could not get enough. This is one of those recipes that you’ll look forward to making every chance you get. The toast is warming, cozy, and so easy to make. Serve these up for weekend breakfast/brunch, then save the leftovers as a weekday on-the-go breakfast/treat/snack. Or work them into your upcoming Easter or Mother’s Day menus…crazy these holidays are already on the horizon.

Spring is coming!

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other breakfast recipes? Here are some favorites:

Cinnamon Sugar Brown Butter Popovers

Za’atar Eggs with Lemony Yogurt

Cider Pumpkin Waffles with Salted Maple Butter

Lastly, if you make this Cinnamon Sugar French Toast be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

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

The Recipe

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast

Warming vanilla bourbon egg custard, nutty browned butter + sweet cinnamon sugar. Top with whipped mascarpone and a drizzle of maple!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 420 kcal

Ingredients

Whipped Mascarpone

Instructions

  1. 1. In a large 9x13 inch baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, bourbon, vanilla, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Add the bread slices, and turn to coat. Let the bread sit 10 minutes, then flip and let the other side sit another 10 minutes.

    2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

    3. To make the cream. Using an electric mixer, whip the mascarpone and cream together until soft peaks form. Add the honey (or maple) and vanilla. Whip to combine.

    4. When ready to cook, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the toast until light golden 2-3, then flip and cook 3-5 minutes, until deeply golden. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of each piece of toast. Flip the toast, cinnamon-sugar side facing down, and cook 2-3 minutes, until the sugar is golden brown and caramelized.

    5. Plate the french toast cinnamon sugar side facing up. Sprinkle each piece lightly with cinnamon sugar. Serve with whipped cream and maple syrup. Enjoy 🙂

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast | halfbakedharvest.com