French Toast Bake

(This recipe was first posted in conjunction with the Meijer Ad Week of 1/15/12-1/21/12)

This breakfast dish is so yummy it could almost be dessert!  A friend brought this over after our 4th child was born, and it was such a hit with our family that I had to ask for the recipe.  I've made it for breakfast as well as supper, and it would also make a great coffee-time treat.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 - 12.4 oz cans cinnamon rolls with icing
6 eggs, beaten well
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup maple syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Pour melted butter/margarine into ungreased 9x13 pan.  Separate both cans of dough into individual rolls.  Set aside the containers of icing.  Cut each roll into 8 pieces.  Place pieces evenly over melted butter.  Beat eggs with whipping cream, cinnamon, and vanilla until well blended.  Gently pour egg mixture over roll pieces.  Sprinkle with pecans, then drizzle with syrup.  Bake at 375 degrees 25-28 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 5-10 minutes to allow eggs to set further.  Microwave the icing cups on 50% power for 10-15 seconds or until it's thin enough to drizzle.  Drizzle contents of both icing cups over top.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup if desired.

Options and Tips

• If you want to keep down the cost of this recipe, you can substitute milk for the whipping cream.  I generally use whole milk instead of whipping cream, but I've used skim milk as well, and it still turned out fine.
• If you decide to use milk instead of whipping cream, I suggest leaving out the melted margarine/butter and instead, greasing the pan with cooking spray.  This will prevent a soggy bottom.
•  My kids prefer "no nuts", so I use half the amount of pecans and sprinkle them over the "adult side" of the casserole.

This recipe was given to me by Tara Koole.  It looks like it came from a Pillsbury cookbook originally, and I changed it slightly to fit our family's preferences.