Blueberry French Toast Casserole

French Toast is one of my favorite breakfast foods, and it is very easy to make it for a small crowd. It's simply put together in a 9 x 13" baking dish that is refrigerated for several hours or overnight, and then baked in the oven. I typically use almost an entire 1-pound loaf of French bread, and then make a custard. Sometimes I add fruit, other times, I don't. 

There are many versions of this sort of dish that can be found online. This one has intrigued me, since you lightly toast the cubed bread before adding your custard, I assume to prevent the bread from getting soggy once it's baked. I have not tried this particular recipe yet, but am posting it here so that I remember to try it in the future. I found this recipe in the Delish Comfort Food magazine, but it can be found here on their website. 

Photo courtesy of Delish . com

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Serves 8

1 (one-pound) loaf of unsliced challah bread, cut into 1" cubes (yielding about 10 cups of bread cubes)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup) 

3 (4" x 1") strips of orange zest (orange peel) (open link to find directions on how to so this)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 cups fresh blueberries (about 16 ounces) blueberries (about 16 ounces), divided (see step two)

Kosher salt

6 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if you are able

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar  (open link to see what that is)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing the pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, spread the bread cubes in an even layer, then bake 325 degrees, stirring halfway through, until the bread is lightly toasted, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Allow the bread to cool on the baking sheet.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the maple syrup, orange zest and orange juice, 2 cups of the blueberries, and a pinch of kosher salt to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries have released their juices and only half of them are still intact, about 10 minutes. 

3. Transfer 1/2 of the blueberry sauce you just made into a small bowl, and stir in the remaining 1 cup of blueberries. Set this aside until you are ready to assemble the casserole. Transfer the remaining sauce into an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate it. You will serve this remaining sauce alongside the casserole at serving time. 

4. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13" baking pan. In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until well combined. Add the whole milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, nutmeg, 1/4 cup of the turbinado sugar and an additional 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and beat until smooth. Add all of the toasted bread cubes to the bowl, toss them in the custard, and let them soak in the custard for about 5 minutes. 

5. Spread two-thirds of the bread mixture into your prepared baking pan. Spoon the 1/2 cup of your blueberry mixture that you had set aside evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Top with the remaining 1/3 bread mixture, gently pressing down into an even height. Scatter the 2 tablespoons of cut up pieces of butter over all, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-12 hours.

6. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, let the casserole and the reserved blueberry sauce sit at room temperature. Before you bake it, sprinkle on the remaining 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar over the top of the casserole. 

7. Bake the casserole until it has puffed up, the edges are crisp, is golden brown in color, and is set in the middle, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before serving. Serve with the reserved blueberry sauce on the side. 

Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

For some reason, I've never been all that successful at making pancakes. But recently, I've had a craving for homemade pancakes; and since I happened to have both buttermilk and blueberries on hand, I decided to make some for breakfast this morning. I did a short search for buttermilk pancakes, and found this one from Tiffany at the Creme de la Crumb cooking blog. They were very easy to make and turned out great, and tasted fantastic, and I highly recommend trying them out. You can find the recipe here: Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes Creme de la Crumb. You can make these without any fruit, or with chocolate chips, whatever your preference might be.

Below is for a single recipe, but I doubled the it because I wanted extras for leftovers. See my notes at the end of the recipe for tips on making these.

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1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp vegetable oil or butter, melted (I used butter)
1 cup fresh blueberries

oil for frying
extra butter and maple syrup for serving


1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. Add the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil (or butter) and whisk to combine. DO NOT OVER MIX - SOME LUMPS ARE PERFECTLY FINE. Gently stir in the blueberries.

3. Heat a griddle to 350, or a large skillet over medium heat. Add a dab of vegetable oil (or butter) and spread over the surface.

4. Using a 1/3 or 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop and then pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Do not touch the pancakes and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until small bubbles appear on the surface of the batter. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until browned on the other side.
5. Top with butter and syrup and serve hot.

NOTES:

• Make sure you are not over mixing the batter, and that there are lumps in it. Over mixing could cause the pancakes to turn out tough. 

• Do not overcrowd that pancakes in your skillet. Just make two, perhaps three at the very most, in your skillet at a time. I don't have an electric griddle (but I told my son that if we end up really liking these and make them often, I might consider purchasing one because making pancakes on a griddle is easier than in a skillet). 

• These will puff up as they cook. Initially, I thought I had done something wrong, or that there was something wrong with the recipe because they started out flatter than I expected. However, they did puff up as they cooked, and turned out nice and thick. As long as your baking powder and baking soda are fresh, these should turn out just fine. 

• For some reason, I did not notice the step for adding the blueberries to the batter (step 2), so I just added the blueberries to the tops of the pancake batter as they were frying up. I waited maybe a minute before adding them to the tops of the individual pancakes so they would start to cook through. I'm sure that either way, adding it to the batter itself, or to the tops of the pancakes as they are cooking will work out just fine. 

Blueberry Baked French Toast

I got this recipe from work, and it has turned out to be one of  our favorite recipes. You can use whatever kind of fruit you wish, or you can make it without any fruit at all. I have another recipe for Vanilla Baked French Toast that I will be posting soon that I found online that is also good, if you prefer to have one without fruit. You can use either fresh blueberries or frozen. I double the crumb topping, because otherwise, it is pretty sparse.

Original Source: My Kitchen Craze

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French Toast

1 pound loaf of French bread* 

    *(you will only need about 3/4 of the loaf, at most, because otherwise this will turn out too dry)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (may use Half & Half)

1/2 cup sugar - brown sugar gives it real good flavor

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed 

1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (see my note at the bottom) 

1/4 cup pecans, chopped - I do not add

Note on using frozen blueberries: To keep them from sinking to the bottom of the batter, dust them with flour or sugar. 

Instructions:

1. Cut bread into small cubes. Remember, you only want to use about 3/4, (maybe even a little less) of the loaf. Otherwise this will turn out too dry. Place cubes in a greased 9x13" pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and cinnamon until well combined. Evenly pour over the bread in the prepared pan. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight is best.

3. Preheat the oven to 350.

4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the bread mixture.

5. Then sprinkle over the blueberries and the pecans.

6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 - 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown and it is set in the middle. The crumb topping should also be nicely browned.

7. Serve with maple syrup, if desired. 

This is just as good as leftovers, as it is the first time around.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

These dessert bars are wonderful! Everyone loves them. You could easily use whatever sort of pie filling you'd like. It is best to make this the day before you serve it, so that the cheesecake softens and mellows in flavor. Believe me, it will make a big difference! The original recipe is called a tart, so its filling is very thin. I always double the filling ingredients, and once I even tripled it, which just made it all the more delicious, but usually, I just double it. What is listed below is the doubled version.

It is very simple to make and doesn't take all that long!

Pat your graham cracker crust in a  greased 9 x 13" pan and set aside. I lined the pan with parchment paper because the pan is scratched up. It's not necessary and not something I usually do, but it turns out that I liked it better with the pan lined, so I will probably do so next time. But do as you wish.

Beat together your filling and pour over the crust. Bake until filling is set and top is lightly browned. Cool. When it comes out of the oven, it will be real puffed up, but then will deflate as it cools.

Top with pie filling.

Spread Cool Whip on top and refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator.

Printable Recipe

Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup pwd sugar


Mix together in a bowl and pat into a greased 9 x 13" pan. You may line the pan with parchment paper if you wish. What I did was to spray the pan with Pam first, line the pan, then spray the parchment with Pam again. Set pan aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling
2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping
1 can Blueberry Pie Filling (you may use whatever flavor you wish - lemon should be real good, though I haven't tried it yet)
1 (12-oz) container of Cool Whip

Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, beating until smooth, again. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until thoroughly combined. Pour over the graham cracker crust. Bake 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until filling has set and top is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Top with the pie filling, spreading to the edges of pan. Top right away with the Cool Whip, also spreading to the edges of the pan. Refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator. This is best made the day before serving.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Printable Recipe

This cake is delicious and remains very moist for several days. It is not overly sweet.


Adapted from FoodNetwork.com the original recipe can be found here

For the Streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp brown sugar

1 rounded tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg (I really like nutmeg-even though this is much more than what is originally called for, I don't think it overpowers it, but you can add it to your taste)

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/3 cups flour

For the Cake:

6 tbsp (3/4 of a stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (I usually use a scant 1/2 tsp lemon extract)

2/3 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking pwd

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt*

1 - 1  1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen ... if using frozen, see my note at the end)

pwd sugar for sprinkling on the baked cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" baking pan.

For the Streusel:

Combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the Cake:

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream. In a seperate bowl, combine the flour, baking pwd, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Crumble the Streusel evenly over the batter. (At this point, I sprinkle on even a little more additional nutmeg.) Bake 350 for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and sprinkle with pwd sugar. (With my oven, I usually have to bake for around 51 minutes.)

NOTES:

*Kosher salt is not the same as table salt. If you use table salt, reduce it by half.

I have always used frozen blueberries. If you do the same, do not thaw them out first. Add a little bit of the flour mixture, or a little sugar to the blueberries before adding it to the batter. This will help the blueberries not to sink to the bottom of the pan while baking.

Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake ~ and ~ Blueberry Monkey Bread

A recipe that after I had gotten started, I thought would turn out wrong; but turned out delicious after all. Plus, and unplanned recipe. 

I found a recipe in the current Pillsbury Spring Brunch magazine for Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake that I really wanted to try. So I got the ingredients together, and realized I had the wrong type of biscuits, and they were too large of cans from what was called for. Plus, I didn't want to follow the recipe exactly. The original recipe calls for raisins (which my kids do no like), and nuts (which I do not like). After putting both pans of Monkey Bread into the oven, I decided I wanted to toss in a few blueberries into the Lemon Monkey Bread, so I quickly added a few into one end of the pan. As they baked, they melted into the biscuits, and were so good! So next time, I'll probably add them to the whole pan.

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Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake adapted from Pillsbury

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon peel
6 tbsp butter, melted
2 cans (16.3-oz) Grands Homestyle Original Refrigerated Biscuits

Spray a 9x13" pan with Pam and line with parchment paper.

Cut each biscuit in quarters (I actually cut them in 6 pieces each.). Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and lemon peel. Dip each biscuit piece in the butter, then roll in the sugar and place in a single layer in the prepared pan.

If desired, toss sprinkle with fresh or frozen blueberries. (I used frozen that I did not thaw out first.) Bake 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. I decided that that these needed a glaze after cooling a little while, so I just made one from pwd sugar and a little milk.

The Verdict: Normally, with Monkey Bread, you roll the biscuit pieces in the sugar first, put them in the pan, then drizzle the butter on top. I found that mixing the butter and sugar together made a sort of "paste" that I found a little difficult to work with. I had to warm the butter up in the microwave before rolling the biscuits in it, so this is where I thought these would not work out. However, I did my best, but ran out of the sugar mixture before I could use up the entire second can of biscuits. I didn't want to just bake them as plain biscuits, and I didn't want to throw them away, either.

The part that turned into an experiment:

Since I had leftover biscuits that I didn't want to go to waste, and I'd been wanting to make this Blueberry Coffee Cake that I found on the Lick the Bowl Good blog,  I decided I would use up the biscuits I couldn't fit into the pan from the Pull-Apart Lemon Coffee Cake. However, I made it a little differently than Monica's recipe.

First, I just sort of guessed at the amounts, because I wasn't sure if I had the equivalent of a 12-oz can of biscuits. But it still worked out just fine.

Blueberry Monkey Bread adapted from Lick The Bowl Good (original recipe can be found here)

Printable Recipe

1 (12-oz) can Grand's Biscuits
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Cut the biscuits in quarters, or sixths. Roll in the melted butter, and toss in the sugar mixture.Place in a greased 9" or 10" pie pan. Roll the blueberries in the sugar mixture and sprinkle with them over the biscuits. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top of the biscuits and blueberries. Bake 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If desired, drizzle with a glaze made from pwd sugar and milk.

The Verdict: Since I didn't know if what I had was the equivalent of a 12-oz can of biscuits, I had to guess on the amounts of butter and the sugars. I added a little granulated sugar to the brown sugar, to lighten it up, since it was clumping up. In the end since I guessed on the amount of butter to use, I found they were a little too buttery, so you could use a little less. Nonetheless, they still turned out very tasty and my family gobbled them right up. Also, since I had drizzled a glaze over the lemon monkey bread, I had to do the same to these. Mmmm-Mmmm.

Blueberry Muffins

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These are very, very good! This makes about 16 muffins. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them out, first. Before adding to the batter, sprinkle them with a little sugar or flour first, to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins during baking.


1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

sugar for sprinkling on top

In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, milk, flour, baking pwd and salt. Carefully fold the blueberries into the batter. Line muffin tins with paper muffin liners and fill to the top with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with a tsp of sugar. Bake 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.