100 Days of Pinterest: Day 20 - Crunchy Baked French Toast Sticks

Here I go again with another Pinterest recipe. It's just so easy to pick a recipe for part of the Pinterest challenge. There are so many good recipes and images available at our fingertips, why not try them?
The Pin I tried for day twenty was simple and really affordable. I made some Crunchy Baked French Toast with Strawberry Syrup. I like fresh strawberries, but let's face it, they aren't really in season in Ohio at this point. I could purchase some of the ones we get shipped in from California, but those ones are so bitter and never really taste the same as the locally grown berries we have around here. So, I went ahead an purchased a bag of frozen strawberries. This way my boys wouldn't dip into them either, because no berries are safe in my house.

The recipe was basically the same as regular french toast with the addition of a crunchy cereal coating. I went ahead and purchased the Mom's Best Oats and Honey Blend. Let me tell you, if you haven't tried Mom's Best, you need to. If you are into the whole Gluten Free thing, they have those options available too. Mom's Best Cereals are preservative free and there are no artificial flavors. They are environmentally friendly too.

Back to the Crunchy Baked French Toast. This stuff was super easy to make. I've included the recipe below. Like I said before, I used frozen strawberries for my syrup. You can use whatever you like...including a different berry. I'm sure you could even make a mixed berry syrup as well.

The recipe states it serves two, so increase the mixture for how many people you'll be feeding. I doubled the recipe for my home. I had extra french toast sticks afterwards, so I froze them for a later snack or breakfast.

Crunchy Baked French Toast Sticks With Strawberry Syrup

Author: Lovely Little Kitchen

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Strawberry Syrup

• 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries, stems removed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

Crunchy French Toast Sticks

• 3 slices Texas Toast bread, cut into three strips each
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups crushed Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal
• powdered sugar

Directions:

Strawberry Syrup

1. In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water. Cook until bubbly. Turn heat down to medium, and boil for 3-4 minutes, until the strawberries are soft. Use an immersion blender to puree the strawberries, and then add the cornstarch. Continue to boil for 6-8 more minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Cool slightly before serving, and keep leftovers refrigerated.
2. Use leftovers for topping ice cream or yogurt, or for making strawberry milkshakes.

Crunchy French Toast Sticks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla together.
3. Place crushed cereal into another small bowl.
4. Quickly dip the strips of bread into the egg mixture, and then into the crushed cereal, one by one. Press the cereal onto the bread to help it stick to all sides. Place the dipped bread onto a greased or Silpat lined baking sheet.
5. Spray the top of each strip with cooking spray, or drizzle with a little melted butter if you prefer. This will help it get nice and crunchy!
6. Bake for 12 minutes, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with strawberry syrup or maple syrup.

Take care!
NB