Good Morning French Toast Muffins

Oh my, the house smells SO GOOD!. A few things to think about - these are very much an "egg bake" concept, so they will deflate some when you take them out of the oven, and, you can set up the muffin tins with everything, refrigerate them, and bake them in the morning. Bake time 25 minutes, maybe a bit more if you choose to refrigerate before. 

Ingredients

12 tsp pure Maple Syrup (1tsp for each muffin)

8+ slices cinnamon raisin bread (I actually used Pepperidge Farm thick sliced Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread because the littles sometimes reject things with raisins baked in. I didn't do one slice per muffin cup, I just piled the torn pieces into a hill in each liner and filled twelve muffins.)

8 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

Topping: 2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon. I also sprinkled with sanding sugar for some sparkle.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pleace 12 foil cupcake liners in muffin tin. In a pinch, I've doubled paper liners with no problem. Place 1 tsp of maple syrup in each liner. Tear bread into small pieces and fill cupcake liners, higher in the middle.

I divided the egg mixture for easier measuring and application - mix 4 eggs, 1/2c milk, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of vanilla. Beat well with a wire whisk. I poured about 1/4c of mixture into a pourable measuring cup and poured slowly into each muffin liner, coating the bread. It fills easily, but then the bread soaks it up, so I then "topped" them off, working with just the first six. Then I mixed another 4 eggs, 1/2c milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla. Slowly pour over the next six muffin liners piled with bread. Again, just a little and then refill as the liquid is absorbed. You can refrigerate for morning at this point. 

Mix topping sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins (and sanding sugar if you wish) and bake for 25 minutes until puffed and golden. Grab a napkin if you are eating on the run! The Grandkids will LOVE them! When will they invent internet smell-a-vision?!

-based loosely on an Eggland's Best recipe.