Vanilla Eggnog French Toast.

I know, I know. I’m jumping holidays here and I hate to do that but with a fridge that has a bit too much eggnog in it and a fresh loaf of egg Challah bread – this was a no brainer when I got home from the gym. The kids were still snuggled in their beds on this frigid Sunday morning (well to be honest very late morning) and I thought I would surprise them with a special festive (albeit Christmas) treat. I think I’ve OD’d my kids on pumpkin already so eggnog would be a nice variance.

I grabbed my griddle and got it fiery hot, my Kerrygold Irish butter and I started working on this recipe. It’s pretty fail-safe for those who are a bit timid in the kitchen. And let’s face it, how perfect would this be on Christmas morning after the present tirade was over?! Christmas is my favorite time of year… I think I’m finally getting into it. Christmas cards are done, addressed and stamped. Presents ordered have started to arrive at our door. Next Friday we get our tree… sparks of excitement are happening!

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Challah bread, sliced into 1.5-2 inch slices
1 cup of eggnog – I used vanilla eggnog
3 large eggs
2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste (or extract)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground clove
Butter (the real stuff) I used Kerrygold Irish butter

Directions:

Get your griddle or large skillet pan nice and hot and add some butter for cooking. Having your sliced bread ready, whisk together your eggnog, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and clove together. Then place or two slices of the bread into the batter and let sit for about 15 seconds then flip over. Promptly add the battered bread to your griddle. You can line the bread fairly close together so you can fit a lot on your pan. Flip once nicely browned on the first side. I usually preheat my oven to “warm” and have a cookie sheet ready to place the completed French toast so I can keep it warm until I serve it. Repeat the process until the loaf is used up. This amount of batter should easily do one normal sized loaf of Challah perfectly with no leftover.

Optional: Top with confectioners’ sugar, fruit, syrup, butter or whatever you prefer.

Leftover can be stored in a large ziploc baggie or covered containers for future breakfast consumption for 3-4 days.

And on this chilly day, one member of my family is quite happy being part Eskimo Spitz… outside sunning herself while I’m inside cooking and enjoying the warmth.