Recipe from food blog, Damn Delicious
Prepare the night before! Soaked in maple syrup, tender cinnamon apples + topped with toasted pecans. SO GOOD.
There is truly nothing more delightful than waking up to this casserole with a warm cup of coffee.
With all the hard work taken care of the night before, you can roll on over to the kitchen in your PJs and simply pop this in the oven, letting you continue your morning with basically zero effort. And in just one hour, you’ll have the most wanted breakfast all. season. long.
Made with tender cinnamon apples nestled in brioche bread cubes, soaked in maple syrup with pockets of an ooey gooey cream cheese filling. Not to mention the perfectly toasted pecans right on top for that added crunch.
Serves 8
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 large apples, peeled and diced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1 (16-oz) loaf brioche bread, cubed
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, cubed
12 large eggs, beaten
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; continue cooking until sugar has dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Let cool.
Lightly coat a 9″×13″ baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a layer of bread cubes evenly into the baking dish. Top with cream cheese and half the apple mixture in an even layer. Top with remaining bread cubes and remaining apple mixture.
In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove baking dish from the refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with pecans; place into oven and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover; continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and center is firm.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.