Christmas Morning French Toast Bake with Hudsonville Ice Cream

Ahhh Christmas. The season that is so full of traditions that it just doesn’t feel like Christmas if you haven’t done them all. From decorating evergreens with twinkling lights to wrapping presents while singing along to your favorite Christmas songs and everything in between, the best parts of Christmas are those traditions you have with your family and friends that you look forward to year after year.

I’ve been counting down the days until December 1st since March. I’ve been ready for twinkling Christmas lights, cheerful vinyls spinning in our record player, baking Christmas cookies, wrapping presents and drinking all the hot cocoa. These (and many more) holiday traditions are so special to me. Being with the ones I love, doing all the things that make this time of year so magical and making memories that last a lifetime is something that I look forward to year after year. 

One of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions is my family’s Christmas morning breakfast. My dad wakes up before the sun to get our traditional french toast bake in the oven while the rest of us are still settled in for our long winter’s nap. By the time we wake up, the whole house smells like cinnamon and we know that as soon as we finish unwrapping presents, we’ll be sitting around the table for a deliciously sweet breakfast. 

And this year, our french toast bake has gotten even sweeter. When my friends at Hudsonville Ice Cream reached out to see if I’d like to share a Christmas recipe, I knew that I wanted to upgrade my dad’s traditional french toast bake… with ice cream! And it turns out…This upgrade took an already delicious recipe to the next level. 

How pretty are our Christmas plates? They were passed down to us from Trev’s late Grandma Glendora!

This breakfast is SO SIMPLE to make and it seriously tastes like Christmas! Plus you can make it ahead of time. All you have to do is pop it in the oven, so you can go and enjoy the Christmas morning fun!

And the best part about this breakfast is that you can mix up the flavors to be whatever you’d like. Buuuuut I think I found the most perfect combo with cinnamon bread and Hudsonville’s Bananas Foster ice cream! 

This is unlike any other french toast bake you’ve tried. I usually don’t care for french toast because it gets all soggy and gross. I promise you, this isn’t soggy one bit. AND it has streusel on top. So you know it’s gotta be good!

So, bookmark this page RIGHT NOW, because once you make this, you’ll want to make it year after year. I promise. 

Let’s grab our aprons and throw on some Christmas music. We’re making a Christmas Morning French Toast Bake! 

Christmas Morning French Toast Bake

Shopping List

• 1 ½ loaves bread of your choice (We love cinnamon bread but sour dough bread works great for this too!) 
• 1 carton Hudsonville Bananas Foster ice cream (or any other delicious flavor you might find!)
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (You’ll need an extra tablespoon of cinnamon if you are choosing regular bread!) 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter

Directions 

1. Start by prepping your ingredients. First, take your ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to melt. (I know. It feels so wrong… but trust me on this one!) While your ice cream melts at room temperature, tear up your bread loaves into small pieces. Add them to a large bowl.
2. Once your ice cream is melted (feel free to use the microwave to speed up the process if you need!) pour over your bread pieces. Toss to make sure it is completely coated, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (We usually let ours sit overnight.) 
3. Now, it’s time to make your streusel topping! Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Then, cut in the butter until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake your breakfast! 
4. When you’re ready, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan, then transfer your ice cream-coated bread into it.  Top with streusel, then bake for 40-60 minutes until the middle has set. (I usually do the toothpick test!) 
5. Serve with a scoop of Hudsonville Bananas Foster ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a Christmas breakfast so yummy, Santa Claus himself just might stick around to try some. 

And guys… that’s it! It’s seriously so easy and so good! 

Have I inspired you to try my Christmas Morning French Toast Bake? Let me and Hudsonville Ice Cream make your holiday a little bit sweeter. Because sometimes, the sweetest packages aren’t under the tree, but in the memories you make… and in the front of your freezer! 

Can’t find it anywhere close to you? Hudsonville Ice Cream has an easy-to-shop online store so you can buy your favorite flavors right from your couch! Not only can you buy their delicious ice cream, you can buy my ice cream scoop or the apparel you see Trev and me rocking all the time! 

Have a wonderful day my loves! I’ll be back tomorrow!

Xx.
Savannah 

*This post was sponsored by Hudsonville Ice Cream. But as always, all opinions are my own! Thank you for supporting the brands I love that help to make Savannah Said It possible.