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Easy “Brûléed” Eggnog Croissant French Toast. Made with flaky croissants, a warming vanilla and cinnamon eggnog, caramelized brown sugar, and egg custard (with hints of citrus). This dish is baked until “brûléed” and sparkling on top. It’s both beautiful and delicious. Every piece of this special French toast is soft, buttery, and very custardy, with a crunchy, caramelized sugar top. Top off with fresh whipped cream and maybe some fruit preserves. Then enjoy the perfect holiday French toast bake!

Overnight Baked Eggnog Brûlée Croissant French Toast | halfbakedharvest.com

There are only two more nights left until Christmas Eve! We’re down to our final two recipes before we all break away for a long Christmas vacation. Are you all excited?

With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just days away, I left one of my favorite recipes of the month for last. Oh, this French toast! It’s the most special, it’s just perfect for the holidays!

We all know how much I LOVE cinnamon rolls for Christmas. I make them annually (and have been since 2012 when I first shared that recipe). It’s not Christmas without at least one fluffy cinni roll!

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Some years, I love to make ALL of the dishes. And this year I can already tell you, I am being overly ambitious. I’m attempting to make everything for my family—cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve and French toast on Christmas morning. ‘Tis going to be a sugar-bombed Christmas…so delicious.

Salads to come in January, until then, we can indulge our sweet tooth for the holidays!

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

The details

Step 1: the croissants

Head to the store bakery and pick up a couple of batches of baked butter croissants. Ideally, try to find a mini croissant and skip the jumbo croissants. The minis are the easiest to work with!

You can pick these up a few days beforehand and let them dry out before using. So go get them today!

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Step 2: the gooey brown sugar

Star with the bottom layer that almost makes this French toast similar to a sticky bun. It’s a mix of brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter. Layer the sauce on the bottom of the pan before adding the eggnog-soaked croissants.

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

The brown sugar caramelizes and thickens in the oven around the French toast. This leaves you with a thick, sticky sauce surrounding each croissant.

It’s delicious!

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Step 3: the eggnog custard

A mix of eggs, eggnog (or, if you prefer, use milk!), orange liquor, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I highly recommend using the orange liquor as it adds that touch of special flavor.

Dip each mini croissant (if using larger croissants, tear them in half) into the eggy nog custard, then arrange in the baking dish.

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Once the French toast has been assembled, place it in the fridge for an hour, or even up to overnight. This is great if you want to have breakfast prepped and ready to pop in the oven in the morning!

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Step 4: add sugar and bake

Pull the pan from the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter. While the oven is preheating, sprinkle over a couple of tablespoons of sugar, then bake.

The sugar will caramelize over the croissants as they bake, giving the entire French toast bake a “brûléed” top. It will be sparkling when you pull the dish out from the oven. Everyone will be excited.

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Step 5: serve it up

To add a festive pop of color, I like to serve this with some raspberry preserves. But I’m going to be honest here, it’s pretty delicious straight out of the oven with zero toppings. Maple syrup and powdered sugar are really not even needed here, as the French toast is pretty sweet on its own. But of course, top as you desire.

Homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit will always be a yes, yes, yes, for us. It’s perfection.

Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other easy breakfast dishes?? Here are my favorites: 

Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing

Lastly, if you make this Easy “Brûléed” Eggnog Croissant French Toast, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

“Brûléed” Eggnog Croissant French Toast

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
chill time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 687 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Butter a 9×13 inch-baking dish.
    2. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
    3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog/ milk, Grand Marnier, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Submerge each croissant into the egg mixture, allowing the croissant to sit for a minute and soak up the eggs. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the croissants.
    4. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the French toast. Bake for 40 minutes or until the French toast is golden and crisp. If the top begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil
    5. Serve the French toast warm, topped with whipped cream (if desired), and fruit preserves. Enjoy!
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Easy Eggnog Croissant French Toast.| halfbakedharvest.com
5 from 27 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. Hey Hector,
      Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was delish, thanks so much for making it and your feedback! Xx

  1. I have fixed this twice now and my husband LOVES it! altho I have changed up the recipe a bit. I didn’t have any grand marnier or eggnog so I used half milk and half heavy cream and an irish creme liqueur. it is sooo good.

    1. Hey Michelle,
      Amazing!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT

    1. Thanks so much Irina!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it:) xT

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe was delicious! The whole family loved! I did cover with foil towards the end and had to cook an additional 10 minutes to get the middle fully done.
    Fresh berries along with it really adds a nice flavor. Some paired with whipped cream and others with a little coconut milk yogurt.
    We will definitely make again!

  3. 5 stars
    Excellent!! Sweet but not over the top sweet, served with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries — yum! I put it together last night and didn’t add the sugar on top until halfway into baking time, then covered with 10 minutes left so it wouldn’t burn. Only wish I’d invited the neighbors!

  4. Ohhhhh myyyyy goodnesss! This was our New Year’s breakfast and did not disappoint! Toddlers and adults rejoiced with the caramelized sugars in our mouth and hearty croissants. Definitely will be a tried and true favorite for many more breakfasts to come. Great for feeding crowds and keeping it low key while impressing others.

    1. 2 questions: (1) if I am using frozen croissants, do I need to bake them first (2) can this recipe be frozen and how beat to reheat for a party

  5. 5 stars
    I made this for a New Year 2024 breakfast treat and it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again, such a great recipe, thank you Tieghan. Now back to healthy eating haha.

  6. We guided the lily for New Year’s Eve brunch and added candies pecans and served with bourbon cranberries. So good!