Peach Cobbler French Toast Casserole
Yes, this is a breakfast dish (in case you weren’t sure).
Many years ago I was at a brunch potluck and somebody brought a breakfast casserole with peaches and cream cheese. I thought it was so strange to have chunks of cream cheese and peaches in a breakfast casserole, but it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. So delicious that I have never forgotten about it. I’ve thought about it often, wishing I had asked for that recipe back in the day.
Fast forward to last week. I was shopping at the small supermarket across the street and for some reason found myself staring at a can of white peaches on the shelves. I’m normally not a canned fruit type of person, but in that moment, white peaches reminded me of that delicious breakfast casserole I had so long ago, and I knew it was time to try and recreate that recipe, or at least what I remember about that recipe. My creation did not disappoint!
When I told my husband what I was making, he asked “is it healthy?” Well, let’s just say it’s not a lean as scrambled eggs and sauteed spinach, but it’s definitely more nourishing than a donut. This is not my everyday breakfast, but I love to mix it up every once in a while with a sweeter breakfast that is nourishing and will also keep me full until lunch. The casserole is packed with 6 eggs in the base, and the crumble on top is made with rolled oats, walnuts, almond flour, and chia seeds. I opted to use coconut milk instead of whole milk or heavy cream to reduce the dairy component in this dish, but you could easily make it completely dairy free by leaving out the cream cheese.
I prepared the base of the casserole the night before. Soaking the bread overnight gives it more of a “melt in your mouth” effect. Plus, it’s less prep time the morning of! You can even stir all the dry ingredients in the crumble topping together the night before too to reduce the time it takes between waking up and getting it in the oven. This recipe is for a 8x8 inch pan. It serves 4-6 people. It is a great breakfast casserole to make when hosting company who has a sweet tooth when it comes to breakfast (love you, Dad!).
I hope you enjoy one of my new favorite breakfasts. You bet I’ll be making this dish with fresh peaches when they come into season.
Ingredients:
Small loaf of Danish bread, cubed (any fluffy white bread would work)
1 can of peaches (I used white peaches), drained and chopped (or 2 fresh peaches)
2 Tbsp cream cheese
6 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 - 2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pink salt
For the crumble topping:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp pink salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Instructions:
The night before you bake, make the French toast base so it can soak overnight.
Grease an 8x8 inch pan with coconut oil. Place cubed bread inside the dish. Evenly spread the peaches and tiny spoonful’s of cream cheese on top of the bread.
Beat eggs together with the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour mixture into pan over the bread, peaches and cream cheese. Press down on all the bread to make sure they are all soaked in the egg mixture.
Place cling wrap over top and store in the fridge overnight.
The morning of baking, pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
While the oven is getting up to temperature, make the crumble topping. In a small mixing bowl, add the oats, walnuts, almond flour, chia seeds, and pink salt and mix them together. Pour in maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Stir to combine.
Spread topping evenly over the base of the casserole.
Bake for 50-55 minutes.
