October 20: Make-Ahead Pear French Toast Muffins

Weekends. We love ‘em. They give us an opportunity to sleep in a little later. To not hold so firmly to a schedule. To lounge around in comfy clothes watching favorite classic movies. To putter in the garden or ride bikes with the kids. And, hopefully, to linger over breakfast or brunch with a warm cup of your favorite drink. (May I recommend this one?) 

Enter today’s recipe. 

I chose it because it’s a make-ahead meal. Which means you do the heavy lifting the night before and just pop it in the oven the next morning. Then, in the time it takes for a pot of coffee to finish brewing (and maybe a pan of bacon to finish sizzling), your pear French toast muffins will be ready to serve! 

You need to try these.

Presto presto, do your very besto, don’t hang back like a shy little kid! You’ll be so glad that you did what you did, if you do it with a bing bang bong!

Make-Ahead Pear French Toast Muffins

Adapted from Kraft’s Food & Family Magazine, Fall 2018 issue)

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

7 oz container Philadelphia Brown Sugar & Cinnamon cream cheese

3 eggs

¼ cup maple syrup

1 cup milk

6 cups French bread cubes (cut into ½ inch cubes)

1 red-skinned pear, chopped

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Spray 12-count muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In mixer, beat cream cheese, eggs, and maple syrup until blended. Add milk in 1/3 cup increments, beating well after each addition.

3. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes and pears. Add ½ cup of the wet mixture and toss to coat. 

4. Spoon damp bread mixture into muffin pan, filling each well to the top. 

5. Pour remaining liquid over each well. (I had enough to add a little over 2 Tablespoons of liquid to each muffin.) Don't be alarmed if you see little bits of cream cheese rise to the top. 

Aforementioned cream cheese curds 

6. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

7. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake muffins 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Post overnight refrigeration

Post baking

Up close, golden brown, and puffed to perfection! 

It's rainin' sugar, hallelujah!

(*Note that the original recipe calls for 6 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon to be added to the pear and bread cube mixture in step 3. I left that out in favor of serving bacon as its own side.)

These were a fun treat warm from the oven with a side of maple syrup for dipping. I also enjoyed the leftovers cold from the refrigerator, when the pear flavor was pronounced in the best way possible. 

So what are you waiting for? Savor your weekend a little extra with this tasty make-ahead breakfast option. (And maybe watch Houseboat because that can't hurt either.)

Be like Christobal Columbo – Take a chance, take a chance…

**I have no affiliation or relationship with any of the brands mentioned or linked in this post. All opinions and experiences expressed herein are my own.**