Individual Stuffed French Toast

Do you ever eat breakfast for dinner?  It is one of our favorite types of dinner to make!  I'm not sure if the hubby did, but my family would have breakfast for dinner every once in awhile and it always felt like a special treat.  Almost like we were being really radical or were celebrating something special by having a food that you were supposed for eat for breakfast for dinner. We thought it was cool!

And I still do it now and it still feels like a special treat!  And breakfast foods are so easy to make because you are usually half asleep when you make them.

These individual stuffed french toasts were the perfect breakfast for dinner treat (or you could, of course, eat them for breakfast)! Having it in individual ramekins made it even more special, but you could easily make this into one large casserole dish to save even more time.  Enjoy!

Stuffed French Toast
serves two

8 slices of whole wheat bread bread, cut into circles with a biscuit, cookie cutter or drinking glass
1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup no sugar added dark cherry preserves (or jam of your choice)

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup half & half
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg

Grease two large ramekins or baking crocks. Place one circle of bread into each cup. Place a tablespoon each of cream cheese onto the bread. Top with another circle of bread. Press down. Add another tablespoon of cream cheese and 1 large tablespoon of your preserves or jam.  Top with another slice of bread.  Then add 1 tbsp of cream cheese and spread it out and top with the final piece of bread.

In a large bowl, whisk together the batter ingredients, and slowly pour over the bread. Add more as it soaks in, until all the batter is used. Let sit for an hour or longer in the refrigerator. The recipe may be made ahead and refrigerated overnight; or frozen, then defrosted in the refrigerator overnight.

Bake the French toast in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's puffed and brown. 

Top with maple syrup or homemade raspberry sauce. Enjoy!