Chocolate Hazelnut French Toast Recipes

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• For the French toast: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with the butter.
• Place the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish.
• Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Gently push the bread down to absorb the egg mixture. Dollop the chocolate-hazelnut spread over the bread and mix it in until evenly distributed.
• For the topping: Combine the butter, oats, pecans and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal.
• To finish the dish: Top the bread cubes with the oatmeal mixture. Wrap tightly with foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Bake, uncovered, until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with maple syrup.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT SPREAD FRENCH TOAST SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, salt, orange zest and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Spread half of the bread slices with the chocolate-hazelnut spread and top with the banana slices and remaining bread slices.
• Pour the egg mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place the sandwiches into the baking dish on top of the egg mixture. Let soak 2 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and soak an additional 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet.
• Remove the sandwiches from the egg mixture and let any excess custard drip off. Working in batches and adding more butter to the skillet as needed, transfer the sandwiches to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT BABKA FRENCH TOAST WITH CARAMELIZED BANANAS

Steps:

• For the French toast: Put the babka slices on a rack set over a baking sheet and let dry for a few hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F; put a baking sheet with a rack inside the oven.
• Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half. Transfer the custard to a baking dish. Place a few slices of the babka in the custard and let sit, turning once, until completely soaked through, 5 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat until the butter foams. In batches (so you don't crowd the pan), cook the bread until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked French toast to the baking sheet to keep warm.
• For the caramelized bananas: Melt the butter in a medium nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook until it just turns light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Place the sliced bananas in an even layer in the pan and cook until the bottoms become caramelized, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another minute. Add the maple syrup and cook until just heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Serve the French toast topped with caramelized banana and dusted with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and salt. Working in batches, melt some of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately-high heat. Dip the bread slices in the egg mixture and quickly transfer to the skillet. Cook 2 slices of the bread until golden brown, and then flip over and cook until golden brown on the other side. Spread 2 tablespoons of the chocolate hazelnut spread on 1 piece of the bread, and place the other piece of cooked bread on top to enclose the chocolate hazelnut spread. Gently press down with a spatula so the pieces stick together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with grade B maple syrup or powered sugar.
• BYOC: A beautiful and tasty garnish would be toasted chopped hazelnuts. Also, bananas, strawberries or blueberries would be delicious as well. Go ahead and make a fruit sauce to go with it for mom on Mother's Day. She will absolutely adore the sauce and you.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT FRENCH TOAST WITH RASPBERRY SYRUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Combine the raspberries, sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until the raspberries are broken down and the mixture is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing the berries with a rubber spatula.
• Whisk the chocolate-hazelnut spread and eggs in a medium bowl until smooth, then transfer to a large baking dish and whisk in the milk. Working in batches, add the bread and soak, turning once, 1 to 2 minutes. (Remove before the bread is soggy.)
• Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 pieces bread and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven; repeat with the remaining bread, adding 1/2 tablespoon more butter to the skillet with each batch. Top with the raspberry sauce and hazelnuts.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT FRENCH TOAST WITH CINNAMON CEREAL

Steps:

• Slice the brioche into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices (6 to 8 slices). Lay each slice on its side and cut a 2-inch slit into the bottom of each. Fill the slit with about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate-hazelnut spread.
• Whisk together the milk, vanilla, salt and eggs in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Place the crushed cereal in another baking dish. Dip a slice of the filled brioche into the egg mixture on both sides a few times, making sure the mixture has soaked in, then transfer to the cereal dish and coat with cereal on both sides. Place the bread on a cutting board or plate while finishing dredging the rest. Repeat with the remaining slices, egg mix and cereal.
• Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place as many slices as will fit in the skillet. Cook on one side until the coating is crisp and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a platter. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the skillet and then more slices. Repeat the process with the remaining butter and slices, reserving 2 tablespoons of butter for the bananas.
• Add the remaining butter to the skillet, let it melt and place the bananas in a single layer in the melted butter. Cook until caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Top the toast with the bananas and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.