It seems like there’s always a little more eggnog in the carton than we know what to do with, so we set out to create the perfect recipe to use it up. Enter: eggnog French toast! It turns out that eggnog makes the ideal French toast custard base in place of traditional milk, half-and-half, or cream. Enriched with eggs and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and rum extract, this eggnog French toast recipe has all the flavors you love in an eggnog cocktail, but in a family-friendly breakfast format.
The trick to custardy (but not soggy) French toast is to use dried-out bread; compared to fresh bread, it absorbs more of the custard and keeps its shape rather than falling apart as it soaks. We give our bread a 10-minute toast in a 275º oven to get the job done. (Dried bread makes for a better texture than stale, which retains a lot of moisture. If you do happen to have a stale loaf, still go ahead and dry the slices in the oven.) Just make sure you give the bread at least 30 minutes to soak before cooking—while it may increase your prep time, it really does make a difference in achieving that custardy center.
To create a textural contrast, we sprinkle the bread with a little sugar before cooking. The result is a crispy, glazey, caramelized crust that complements the toast’s rich, eggy interior. It’s just sweet enough to stand on its own, but we love it drizzled with maple syrup and garnished with some whipped cream and berries.
Want to get ahead of the game? Prep the French toast the night before, soaking overnight in the refrigerator (covered with plastic wrap) for an extra custardy interior. Just be sure to let it warm up slightly on the counter before cooking, and potentially give it a few extra minutes in the pan to ensure it’s cooked all the way through. PS Use a 13″-by-9″ baking dish if you don’t have a large rimmed baking sheet.
Made this holiday breakfast? Let us know how it went in the comments below!