French toast muffins is a quick and easy french toast recipe baked in a muffin pan. These soft and buttery french toast cups are topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. Once baked, these delicious cinnamon toast muffins can be topped with maple syrup, powdered sugar or enjoyed as is for a fun and tasty breakfast treat.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love wonderfully indulgent breakfast recipes. My Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Banana French Toast, Brioche French Toast Casserole and Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream are just a few of many that I love making when I want an extra special, but quick breakfast. This french toast muffins recipe is no exception. I know you’ll reach for these easy french toast muffin cups over and over again because:
- Layers of flavors and textures: From the soft and buttery cinnamon toast french toast, to the sweet and crunchy spiced streusel, these baked french toast cups will delight your tastebuds.
- Easy to make, bake and eat: These brioche french toast muffins taste like something you would buy at your favorite restaurant for breakfast and brunch, but are so simple to make at home. Just mix everything in a bowl, rest while the oven preheats, bake and enjoy.
Ingredients
These easy french toast muffins require only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
French Toast Muffins
Gather eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, salt and buttery bread such as french bread, brioche or challah.
Cinnamon Crumble Topping
Gather flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon and cold cubed butter.
Substitutions
These french toast in muffin cups are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these delicious toast cups.
- Buttery Bread: This french toast muffin cup recipe uses brioche bread. Feel free to use another thick buttery bread like challah bread, french bread or even Texas toast bread.
- Eggs: Eggs are an essential ingredient for these french toast muffins. There is no alternative for this recipe.
- Heavy Cream: Use an equal amount of half and half or milk.
- Milk: Whole milk is preferred, but feel free to use any milk you like.
- Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar. Light brown sugar would make a good substitute. Maple sugar is a wonderful refined sugar free alternative.
- Ground Cinnamon: The ground cinnamon is the perfect aromatic to make these french toast cups really shine. If you don’t have ground cinnamon, feel free to use any baking spices you have on hand. Pumpkin spice, chai spice or apple pie spice blends would all work well in this recipe. Use 1 - 2 teaspoons for this baked french toast recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a lovely flavor boost to the french toast cups. Omit if needed.
- Streusel Topping: This delightfully spiced crumble topping is optional, but highly recommended.
How To Make
Learn how to make french toast muffins in a few easy steps!
- In a large mixing bowl, make the crumble topping by whisking the flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon together until well combined. Work the cold cubed butter into the dry ingredients until the streusel resembles wet sand, with a few larger pieces mixed in. Transfer to the fridge until it’s time to top the french toast muffins.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together until well combined. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Gently mix in the cubed bread, making sure to fully coat each piece in the spiced custard. Stir 1 -2 times over the next 20 -30 minutes. Set aside while the oven preheats.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 20 - 30 minutes. When it’s time to bake, grease a 12 ct. muffin pan with melted butter. Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the french toast batter into each of the muffin cups. Top with the chilled crumble. Bake the muffins for 25 - 35 minutes or until the tops are a beautiful golden brown color. Cool the cinnamon toast muffins in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Serve these easy baked french toast cups with powdered sugar, maple syrup and fresh berries.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Make the french toast custard, mix in the bread cubes, cover and store in the fridge overnight. The crumble can also be made ahead of time and stored separately in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Store: Fully cool the french toast muffins. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 - 3 days.
- Freeze: Fully cool the french toast muffin cups. Wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight, freezer proof container in the fridge for up to 3 months. days.
- Thaw: Reheat french toast cups by baking in a 350 F (177 C) oven until warmed though or heated in the microwave until warmed through.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use old bread. Fresh bread is so delicious, but can get soggy very easily when used for this recipe. A stale bread is best for this french toast muffins recipe.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly and easily resulting in a smoother french toast custard filling.
- Evenly cube the brioche or challah bread: 1 inch pieces are the perfect size for baking and eating.
- Grease the muffins cups. Use a non stick muffin pan, greased with melted butter or a non stick spray.
- Spice it up: Use your favorite blend of warming spices to make these easy toast muffins even more delicious.
- Use your favorite toppings. Although these muffin cups taste amazing without toppings, I love topping mine with powdered sugar, maple syrup and fresh berries. Chopped nuts or whipped cream would also be delicious toppings.
FAQs
Make sure to use stale bread. Fresh bread can soak up too much of the custard. Another trick is to soak the bread or bread cubes long enough to absorb the custard, but not so long that the bread becomes too soggy. For this recipe, 20 - 30 minutes of soaking time is recommended.
An easy ratio to remember is 2 slices of bread, 1 egg and ¼ cup (59 ml) of milk or half and half for the perfect french toast.
Other Breakfast Muffin Recipes to Try
If you try this French Toast Muffins recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
French Toast Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml) optional
Ingredients
Cinnamon Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup (30 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (57 g) cold butter, evenly cubed
French Toast Muffins
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1¼ cup (296 ml) milk
- ¼ cup (59 ml) heavy cream or half and half
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 16 oz. loaf bread, cubed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, make the crumble topping by whisking the flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon together until well combined.¼ cup (30 g) all purpose flour, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Work the cold cubed butter into the dry ingredients until the streusel resembles wet sand, with a few larger pieces mixed in. Transfer to the fridge until it’s time to top the french toast muffins.¼ cup (57 g) cold butter, evenly cubed
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together until well combined. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt until well combined.5 large eggs, room temperature, 1¼ cup (296 ml) milk, ¼ cup (59 ml) heavy cream or half and half, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gently mix in the cubed bread, making sure to fully coat each piece in the spiced custard. Stir 1 -2 times over the next 20 -30 minutes. Set aside while the oven preheats.16 oz. loaf bread, cubed
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 20 - 30 minutes. When it’s time to bake, grease a 12 ct. muffin pan with melted butter. Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the french toast batter into each of the muffin cups. Top with the chilled crumble.
- Bake the muffins for 25 - 35 minutes or until the tops are a beautiful golden brown color. Cool the cinnamon toast muffins in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Serve these easy baked french toast cups with powdered sugar, maple syrup and fresh berries.
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