One of the ways I get inspiration is to peruse the grocery stores aisles. Most of my friends think I am nuts to love grocery shopping but to me there's nothing like picking up fresh ingredients, taking them home and creating something new.
I discovered the most gorgeous brioche loaf and had to have it. I had no clue what I would do with it and I probably stared at it for 10 minutes waiting for some inspiration. Then the light bulb went on! I thought about the chocolate almond croissant we ate every single morning on our cruise. They were so ridiculously good that we found ourselves taking a plate of them into the gym with us, placing them on the treadmill, then devouring them after our workout! That's some serious motivation right there!
Chocolate Almond Brioche Baked French Toast is made with sweet brioche bread cooked in a rich custard batter, and sprinkled with chunks of chocolate and crunchy almonds. Let's not forget that it's topped off with sweet homemade whipped cream. It's all baked in one pan and placed in the oven so there's no sitting over a hot griddle flipping french toast. You could even call this Chocolate Almond Bread Pudding because it's about the same exact thing!
So what is brioche? It is a rich, buttery, sweet bread that comes from France. It can be found in bakeries, most grocery stores, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and many others.
If you can't find brioche, you can substitute challah bread or even Texas toast. If you use a different bread, you may want to add more brown sugar to the custard batter since the bread isn't as sweet.
The best part of this Chocolate French Toast or Chocolate Bread Pudding is that it gives you permission to eat chocolate for breakfast. Heck yeah! I found that chocolate chunks melt nicely in this dish. Chocolate chips work well too but they are meant to hold their shape better so they won't melt as much. I used the Trader's Joe's Pound Plus Chocolate Bar and roughly chopped it. You can use any variety of your favorite chocolate - milk, semi-sweet, or dark.
Handcrafted, freshly whipped cream using heavy cream and sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla bean is all you need to finish off this Chocolate Almond Brioche Baked French Toast. No syrup required in this Chocolate French Toast. A dollop of whipped cream usually does the trick.
Chocolate Almond Brioche Baked French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 Brioche Loaf sliced
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- ¾ cup Chocolate Chunks semi, milk, or dark
- ½ cup Slivered Almonds
Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream:
- ¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Vanilla Bean or 2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In blender or large bowl, mix together egg yolks, milk and brown sugar.
- Place brioche is buttered or lightly sprayed 8 X 8 baking pan. The bread can be angled so that it's slightly standing up. Pour custard, making sure to coat each piece.
- Sprinkle with chocolate and slivered almonds.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes or until it is light golden brown and the custard is soaked up by the bread.
- In mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla bean and mix. Sweeten to taste.
- Top chocolate french toast with fresh whipped cream and sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional).
Go ahead and indulge and you will feel like you right in the center of Paris with this delectable Chocolate Almond Brioche Baked French Toast.
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