French Toast Muffins

PIN this recipe for French Toast Muffins now… So you can make it later!

Who loves French toast? (Raises hand.) Who loves warm muffins right out of the oven? (Raises both hands!)

If you have your hands raised along with me, I’m here to tell you that these baked French Toast Muffins are your new breakfast and brunch best friend.

See the top of that muffin up there? That topping is pieces of cinnamon bread that have been soaked in the egg batter and then plunked on the top of the muffin batter, so they cook up as little heavenly pieces of actual French Toast right on top of your French Toast flavored muffin.

And they are a snap to bake up…you can have glorious French Toast muffins cooling on your counter in less than an hour. No yeast or rising time required. Now THAT’S something to wake up to.

What is French Toast again?

French toast (known as pain perdu in French, which means lost bread) is bread that is soaked in a mixture of eggs and milk, fried to golden perfection in butter, and drizzled with maple syrup.

I will sometimes take things to the next level by introducing some caramel to the picture, but that’s a story for another day!

These muffins use a couple of surprise ingredients to replicate that glorious sugary flavor but in muffin form. Here’s everything you’re going to need to bake them up.

The only things you might not already have hanging out in your pantry are the cinnamon bread (which you can find right next to the regular bread in your supermarket) and the maple extract (which is in the baking aisle).

Here’s How To Make French Toast Muffins!

Heat your oven to 375°F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Cut up 6 slices of cinnamon swirl bread into ½ inch cubes.

Combine 3 tablespoons of milk, 1 beaten egg and the bread cubes in medium bowl, stir it up until it is nice and wet and set aside.

Now for the main muffin part! Put 1 cup of milk, a half cup of melted butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of maple extract in another medium mixing bowl.

Now put 2 cups of flour, ¾ cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until combined.

Spoon the batter into your greased 12-cup muffin pan. Divide the French toast topping evenly over the batter and smoosh it down ever so slightly.

Pop the muffin tin in the oven and bake your gorgeous muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Immediately brush muffins with a little maple syrup.

Last but definitely not least!  Put 2 tablespoons of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle it over the muffins.

Cool the muffins for the longest 5 minutes of your life, then take them out of the tin and put them on a cooling rack (I like to run an offset spatula around the edges to loosen them up first – you can use a knife for this as well.

Now watch as everyone who lives with you comes out of the woodwork to snag a muffin while they are still warm.

These babies are perfect for an Easter or holiday brunch…or anytime when you want to surprise your family with an unexpected breakfast treat!