I tried a new recipe for Christmas morning breakfast. I was searching the internet and pinterest for a recipe that I could prepare the day before (while I was in cooking mode) and would take at least an hour to cook (to give us time to open presents.) I found this recipe on Simply Recipes : Blueberry Maple Breakfast Bake. Here is a copy of the recipe:
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of white bread, crusts removed, bread cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes (I used the whole 8 oz block)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup plus more for serving
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350° F (only if you are cooking the same day.) Grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish. Place half of the bread cubes in the dish. Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and half of the blueberries over the bread. Top with remaining bread cubes and blueberries.
2 Combine eggs, milk, maple syrup and butter in a large bowl and pour over bread mixture.
3 Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cover with aluminum foil if you notice the edges browning too much during baking.
4 Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares to serve. Serve with additional maple syrup. Can be prepared the night before, and baked before serving.
Yield: Makes 9 servings.
I covered with tin foil and put in the fridge the night before. Since I prepared a few dishes before hand, I always use post-it notes with what temperature and how long it needs to be cooked. When we woke up, I started the coffee and put it in the oven. By the time we were finished opening presents, the timer was ringing that it was done.
When it first comes out of the oven it will look like this:
After 10 minutes of cooling it will settle in the pan.
I asked my husband – is this a Christmas fail or Christmas tradition? He said tradition so I guess we will do it again next year. We did brainstorm other flavors we could use. He said cinnamon and brown sugar. I thought spinach and feta. I usually lean towards savory instead of sweet.
What do you make to eat Christmas morning? Do you prepare the night before? I’d love to hear what your menu is like. Do you have an idea for something else that could be used instead of blueberries in this recipe? Leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading today!
My Color-Coded Life 
Super delish Maureen! Check out my Monkey Bread recipe. Yummy and it took like 20 minutes max. http://www.fairfieldbport.macaronikid.com