The Best Overnight Blueberry and Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

This Overnight Blueberry and Cream Cheese Casserole is a family favorite. First, it’s delicious! It’s also easy to make, as long as you do it the night before– you want that vanilla and maple syrup custard to soak into the bread, yielding tender and moist French Toast. Bread is soaked, overnight, in a custard of egg, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. The next morning, it’s baked for about an hour. In the meantime, a blueberry sauce is made (super easy). The result: French toast that is creamy and delicious!

 

We spent a quiet evening, at home, making Swiss Fondue with a bottle of chilled Prosecco. I made our traditional dinner of tender Filet Mignon, fresh veggies and falling asleep long before midnight. I wouldn’t want it any other way. New Year’s Day is our 10th wedding anniversary, and that’s when we go out to dinner to celebrate.  I wouldn’t want that any other way!

I go through spurts of emptying out our two freezers. In one of my rummaging sessions, I discovered a large container of California frozen blueberries. I also found a package of Brioche hamburger buns, that I buy at Whole Foods.    I’ve lost count of how many “Overnight” French Toast Casseroles I’ve seen all over the internet, but that’s what I decided would be the fate of these two ingredients.

I also liked the idea of adding cream cheese.  I love cream cheese, and I thought that adding this would give a creamy and almost “Cheese Blintz” flavor to this casserole.  It didn’t take long to prepare this casserole.  Cut up the bread, add some frozen blueberries, cut up the cream cheese, sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar on top (I always have a shaker of that on hand), then pour over a custard of milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Cover it in plastic wrap, with a plate weighing it down. 15 minutes…tops!

This morning, I covered the casserole with foil (after letting it come to room temperature for 30 minutes), and popped it into a 350F degree oven for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, I made a blueberry sauce, with the leftover frozen berries.  I added a little Meyer lemon zest, since our tree has been most generous with us– despite the drought! (Kudos to my husband’s green thumb and diligence in covering it up during those cold frosty mornings.)

After 30 minutes of baking, I removed the foil and let it bake until
golden brown, and the center was set (the ole toothpick test.)

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Overnight Blueberry French Toast

This casserole is a family favorite. First, it's delicious! It's also easy to make, as long as you do it the night before– you want that vanilla and maple syrup custard to soak into the bread, yielding tender and moist French Toast. Bread is soaked, overnight, in a custard of egg, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. The next morning, it's baked for about an hour. In the meantime, a blueberry sauce is made (super easy). The result: French toast that is creamy and delicious!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Overnight resting time1 day d

Total Time1 day d 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Blueberry French Toast Casserole, Overnight French Toast Casserole

Servings: 8

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

For the casserole:

• 4 slices brioche bread cut into thick cubes
• 1 package cream cheese cut into cubes)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries frozen works fine, too
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup milk or half and half for a richer custards
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup not pancake syrup
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar optional but we love it

For the sauce:

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch I use Instant Clear Jel
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

• For the casserole:
• Spray a 9×13-inch (I use an oval 11 x 9-inch dish) with non-stick spray
• Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread half of the bread into the pan, and then spread the cream cheese cubes. Note: I actually added all of the bread, then nestled the cream cheese cubes in between and sprinkled the blueberries throughout (rearranging them until I liked the way it looked.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.

For the custard:

• Whisk eggs in a bowl, add the milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
• Pour, evenly, over the bread and berry mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. (I set an oval plate on top to weigh it down a bit.)

In the morning:

• Remove the casserole and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Replace the plastic wrap with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil, and bake for 30 minutes more– or until it is set in the center and has a golden color.

Blueberry sauce:

• In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch (or Instant ClearJel) together to evenly combine. Add the lemon zest. Add the water, while whisking (to prevent lumps). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Add the blueberries (no need to thaw, if frozen), and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or so, or until the blueberries begin to pop. Keep on low heat until the casserole is ready.

To serve:

• Remove the casserole from the oven, and top with the blueberry sauce.
• If desired, dust with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
• Be prepared for people wanting seconds!

Notes

I buy Brioche buns at Whole Foods, because not only are they delicious, but they aren’t horribly expensive. Using an “egg-based” bread will yield the best results. My second choice would be using a French bread that is stale. I don’t recommend using plain white bread, but no matter what– be sure that the bread isn’t moist and fresh. Otherwise, you’ll end up with gummy French Toast.

You don’t want to take a shortcut by not giving ample time for the custard to be absorbed into the bread.  You’ll get better results.

Yes, you can use other fruit– such as raspberries.  Instead of making the blueberry sauce, serve with pure maple syrup.

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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