Cinnamon sugar coated French Toast sandwiches with chocolate, and there’s a make-ahead overnight option.
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What happens when you combine a cinnamon sugar doughnut, French Toast and an irresistible desire to add chocolate to everything? This breakfast, of course.
The story behind this French Toast is pretty simple: one day I had a hankering for a doughnut – and a serious chocolate craving – but didn’t want to be hungry five minutes later. As much as I love doughnuts, they’re not exactly a ‘filling’ food.
The solution: making a sandwich filled with chocolate hazelnut spread, soaking it in a simple egg batter, pan-frying it and coating the warm sandwich in cinnamon sugar.
Then the next morning I made it all over again. Meaning that either (a) this breakfast is dangerously addictive; (b) I’ve come down with a case of chocolate fever; or (c) all of the above.
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Believe it or not, the aforementioned chocolate hazelnut spread was not Nutella. Nope, instead I filled this French Toast sandwich with a new product that I was luckily enough to try.
Peanut Butter & Co. recently sent me a jar of their ‘Chocmeister’ Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread (and I was also fortunate enough to receive a jar of almond butter, crunchy peanut butter and powdered chocolate peanut butter – so expect those to appear in a few recipes later this year). While Peanut Butter & Co. are best known for their peanut butter, they also sell almond butter, cashew butter and, of course, chocolate hazelnut spreads.
The Chocmeister spread claims to have 25% less sugar and 50% more protein than ‘the leading brand of chocolate hazelnut spreads’ (no prizes for guessing who that might be). And it shows! This spread actually tastes like chocolate and hazelnuts. As much as I love Nutella, the stuff often just tastes like sugar with a background flavor of chocolate. Chocmeister has a much stronger hit of chocolate, which is ideal for dark chocolate fiends like myself.
Needless to say that I don’t expect this jar will last me very long. Especially since I keep grabbing random spoonfuls of the spread throughout the day.
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Notwithstanding, it should be noted that – while the Chocmeister spread has less sugar than Nutella – sugar is still the first ingredient listed. Personally, I would’ve preferred there to be more hazelnuts in the mix, but I’m someone who really loves hazelnuts. (If you’re interested, you can find the full nutritional information for the Chocmeister spreads on Peanut Butter & Co.’s website).
Even though I would’ve liked it to be a little nuttier, the Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread is undoubtedly delicious, and the sweetness makes it ideal for stirring into oatmeal, dolloping on top of pancakes and stuffing into French Toast sandwiches.
Speaking of which, I have one final thing to mention about this French Toast sandwich recipe: if you’re someone who likes make-ahead breakfasts, then you’re in luck. You can assemble the sandwiches in advance and leave them to soak in the batter overnight. Just flip the sandwiches a few times to make sure every side is well coated in batter, and then stash them in the fridge.
Then, in the morning, all you need to do is cook your sandwiches and presto: we have a chocolate-stuffed breakfast.
As mentioned in the post, I was given a jar of Chocmeister Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread by Peanut Butter & Co. All opinions are my own.
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- French Toast
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup (80mL) milk
- 4 slices dry sourdough bread
- 4 heaping tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread
Cinnamon Sugar- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Add the milk, and whisk until well combined.
- Cover two slices of bread with a thick layer of chocolate hazelnut spread. Top with the other bread slices to create two sandwiches.
- Place the sandwiches in a single layer in a large dish. Pour over the French Toast batter, and flip the sandwiches to coat them completely. Let the slices sit for at least 15 minutes, flipping them after 10 minutes.
- Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat. Grease with cooking oil spray, and then add the soaked sandwiches (cook the sandwiches in batches if necessary).
- Cook the sandwiches for about 4 minutes on the first side. Flip, and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. The sandwiches are ready when each side is golden and flecked with a few darker patches. Adjust the stove heat as needed.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cinnamon sugar by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a large, shallow dish.
- Coat both sides of the warm sandwiches in cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar over the top.
- Serve the French toast sandwiches by themselves, or with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Ideally use bread that’s 2 - 4 days old.
Milk
For best results, use full cream or low fat milk is ideal. Avoid skim milk or almond milk.
Overnight Version
The sandwiches can soak in the batter overnight. If letting them soak overnight, flip the sandwiches a few times to make sure they are well coated in batter, and then place the dish in the fridge.