Who says creating a delicious holiday brunch has to be stressful? These easy eggnog french toast muffin cups are just the thing for brunches during the busy holiday season.
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I first tested these muffins in 2019 for an annual Thanksgiving brunch buffet that a friend of mine hosts. They were such a huge hit with party guests that I decided to add them to the blog to give you another great option for your holiday brunch menu.
Contents:
Notes from the Kitchen
French toast is a great breakfast treat but making it for a group, even a small group, isn't always feasible so turning it into muffins that you can bake and serve individually is a great way to add it to a holiday brunch menu.
This recipe is a smaller scale, making twelve muffins. If you are hosting a larger group simply double or the recipe.
- Use taller muffin cup liners: Using taller liners makes it easier to keep both the bread mixture and the streusel topping contained.
- Soak the bread for at least an hour: Don't be tempted to skip this step and jump right to baking these muffins. They won't have the same flavor or consistency if you don't let the bread absorb the eggnog mixture.
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Bread: A heavier bread is best for this recipe. I typically use either sourdough or ciabatta.
- Eggnog: Since this is the key ingredient there are no options for substitution here. The taste isn't over-powering but if you are not a fan of eggnog this might not be the recipe for you.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Since these are often seasonally used spices, be sure your spices are fresh before starting. These both add add the warm, cozy fall flavor to this recipe so feel free to be very liberal with them!
- Dark brown sugar: You can substitute light brown sugar if that's what you happen to have.
- Unsalted butter: This particular recipe doesn't need any added salt so try to stick with unsalted butter.
Recommended Tools
Muffin Pan - A regular size muffin pan is definitely an essential kitchen tool. I like to keep two on hand so I make larger batches of muffins or cupcakes. They are also great for making breakfast egg muffins.
Muffin Liners - I generally keep a supply of these in my kitchen as they have many uses. I like these taller tulip shaped ones as they are a bit more elegant. I also like to keep some bright colored ones, like you see in the photos, on hand as they are a bit more festive.
How to make this recipe
These French Toast muffins only require a handful of ingredients, making them quite simple to put together. A few key steps will get a tasty dish on your buffet table in no time.
Step 1 | Make the bread mixture: You want the bread to be slightly dried out so I normally cut it into cubes the night before and let it sit in a loosely covered bowl. Add the eggnog and spices, toss and then pop the bowl into the refrigerator for at least one hour. You can let it sit for 2-3 hours if you are prepping the rest of the meal.
Step 2 | Make the streusel topping: You can make this using either a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor. I prefer using a food processor as the butter gets distributed more evenly.
Step 3 | Prepare the muffins: Once the bread sits in the eggnog mixture for a bit you simply scoop it into the prepared muffin tin and then bake. I like to use muffin liners as they make for easier cleanup and make serving a breeze.
Can I make these muffins gluten-free?
You can make these French Toast muffins gluten-free by swapping out the regular bread for your favorite gluten-free bread. Also, don't forget to use gluten-free flour for the streusel topping! I would also suggest you limit the time the bread soaks in the eggnog to one hour to help prevent it from getting too soggy.
How do you reheat French Toast Muffins?
You can reheat leftover French Toast Muffins two ways:
- Toaster Oven/Conventional Oven. I think this is the best option for reheating these muffins. Heat the oven to 300°F, cover the muffins with foil and bake for about 10 minutes or until warm.
- Microwave. If you are dying to have one right. now! then the microwave is a good choice but you will lose the crunchy parts of the muffin. Heat for 30 seconds and then continue to heat in 15-second intervals until the desired temperature is reached. Normally 30-45 seconds is plenty but may vary depending on your microwave.
Serving Suggestions
These muffins make a great addition to any brunch and they are especially great for holiday events such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. They can be a meal by themselves or for a simple brunch you can serve them with scrambled eggs and some fresh fruit.
If you want to make them as part of a larger brunch menu I'd serve them with these Melon, Proscuitto and Mozzarella Skewers, these Cranberry Brie Tarts and either a Caramelized Onion Fritatta or Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole.
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Baked Eggnog French Toast Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 6 cups day-old bread, cut into 1" cubes
- 2 cups eggnog
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
For the streusel:
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F
- Prepare the bread. Slice and cube up your day-old bread and place into a large bowl.
- Make the eggnog batter. Mix eggs, eggnog, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
- Coat the bread cubes. Pour the eggnog mixture over the bread cubes and stir until all of the cubes are evenly coated.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, up to 3 hours.
- Make the streusel. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two 2 forks. You can also add the streusel ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
- Assemble. Divide the bread mixture evenly between lined or greased muffin cups. Spoon the streusel mixture over the muffins.
- Bake. Bake the muffins for 35-40 minutes, until the tops begin to turn golden brown.
- Serve. Serve with maple syrup, and if desired, a bit of creme fraiche.
This post was originally published in November 2020. It was updated in November 2024 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Allyssa
Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make eggnog french toast muffins recipe! It's really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Tina
How fun! This will be making it on my breakfast table this winter for sure!
Kate Hahnel
Made these eggnog french toast muffins for brunch with my friends and they were gone within minutes! I have the recipe printed out and saved to make again!
Liz
My husband loves eggnog! I will have to have to try this recipe for the holidays!
Chandice Probst
I love the holiday flavors and this fun take on traditional French toast. Super easy to make too, thank you!