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14 Comments

French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping

Stacey Pirtle

by Stacey Updated: Feb 24, 2024

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Next to holiday finger foods (fondly just called ‘snacks’ at my house), Christmas brunch is my absolute favorite!  Christmas brunch is also my favorite kind of holiday get-together to host.  I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because you get to have a little breakfast, a little of those fabulous Christmas finger foods, and a little Christmas dessert.  I mean, where else can you get so much of all the things you love all in the same meal?

This particular recipe is a sweet standard on our Christmas morning brunch menu every year- a French toast bake, or casserole that can be made the night before or the morning of.  All depending how much time you find yourself with. 

Not to mention, this French toast bake is packed with all the flavors of the holiday- soaked in egg nog and topped with loads of cranberries, pecans and orange zest.

Wonderfully festive, beautifully indulgent, French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping is a Christmas showstopper, for sure.  But shhh… don’t tell anyone… it’s not hard to make at all!


French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping

Ingredients

1 loaf French or Italian bread (16-20 oz)
8 large eggs
2 C egg nog
1 C half and half
dash of salt

Praline Topping:

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce (14 oz)
1 C light brown sugar
1 ½ C chopped pecans
1 heaping tablespoon orange zest
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
a handful of fresh cranberries

Process

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly butter or oil 9×13 baking dish.

Slice bread (if not pre-sliced) into 24 or so slices.  Place the sliced bread into baking dish cut-end down, crust-side up in 2 rows to fill the dish.  Placing the cut ends down optimizes the bread’s opportunity to soak up all those eggs and good egg nog for yummy French toast perfection in the next step. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg nog, milk and salt.  Pour the mixture over the bread, covering each piece and making sure the mixture gets between the slices of bread as well.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes if you are pressed for time or overnight if you have the chance to plan ahead.

Praline Topping:
Combine brown sugar, chopped pecans and cinnamon. Stir in whole berry cranberry sauce until mixed well.  Spoon the topping evenly over the bread. You may have to spread it some to evenly cover the top of the bake.

Sprinkle orange zest over the cranberry pecan topping.  Adding the orange zest last makes sure that it’s seen even after the French toast is baked.  It adds festive color and tells your eyes, “hey, this is going to be good! Look at all the flavors here!”

Bake 50 minutes or until the French toast  is puffed and the topping is bubbling.  Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving with warm maple syrup.

***Pin this French Toast Bake here!***

Wonderfully festive, beautifully indulgent, French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping is a Christmas morning showstopper. Perfect french toast casserole for holiday brunches.Need more Christmas Inspiration?  Check out these ASD favorites!

Overnight Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal

Green Chile Strata

Southern Cranberries & Cheddar Dip

Mini Natchitoches Meat Pies

Looking for holiday encouragement?  Check out these ASD Life & Grace moments!

Mary, Did You Know?

A Christmas Table to Spread Joy- 3 Secrets of Real Joy

French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping

An easy make-ahead French toast casserole with all of the flavors of the holiday season.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Stacey | SouthernDiscourse.com

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf French or Italian bread 16-20 oz
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 C egg nog
  • 1 C half and half
  • dash of salt

Praline Topping

  • 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce 14-15 oz
  • 1 C light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ C chopped pecans
  • 1 heaping tablespoon orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • a handful of fresh cranberries
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Lightly butter or oil 9x13 baking dish.
  • Slice bread (if not pre-sliced) into 24 or so slices. Place the sliced bread into baking dish cut end down, crust side up in 2 rows to fill the dish.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg nog, milk, egg nog, and salt.
  • Pour over the bread, covering each piece of bread with egg mixture and making sure the mixture gets between the bread as well.
  • Cover with foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to overnight.

Praline Topping

  • Combine brown sugar, chopped pecans and cinnamon.
  • Stir in whole berry cranberry sauce until mixed well.
  • Spoon evenly over the bread. Spread to evenly cover.
  • Sprinkle orange zest over cranberry pecan topping. Add a few fresh cranberries for color.
  • Bake 50 minutes or until egg mixture is puffed and topping is bubbling.
Did you make my French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping?Show me how it went! Share on Instagram, tag @southerndiscourse, and use the hashtag #SouthernDiscourse!
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Filed Under: Breakfast & Brunch, Holidays, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast casseroles, Christmas

Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Avatar photoKristen

    December 20, 2017 at 7:26 am

    5 stars
    Ah!!!! This looks INCREDIBLE!!! I’ll definitely be trying this soon!! So much YUM!! ????

    Reply
    • Stacey Pirtlestacey

      December 20, 2017 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks, Kristen! I had a standard french toast casserole recipe that I decided to jazz up for Christmas with some yummy holiday flavors!

      Reply
  2. Avatar photoLyndsey

    December 20, 2017 at 1:32 pm

    Oh wow. I love everything about this, I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
    • Stacey Pirtlestacey

      January 2, 2018 at 12:48 pm

      Thanks, Lyndsey! We ate on it all of Christmas week. It was the dish that kept giving! Haha! Seriously, though. It was a hit. We loved it!

      Reply
  3. Avatar photoHeidi Erickson

    December 20, 2017 at 6:10 pm

    This looks sooo good! I am a sucker for anything dessert so I will HAVE to try this!!

    Reply
    • Stacey Pirtlestacey

      January 2, 2018 at 12:53 pm

      Heidi, my mom and I thought it tasted like cake! And, in my opinion, that made it all the better for breakfast!

      Reply
  4. Avatar photoStephanie Liller

    December 27, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    This looks SOO delicious! I’m going to make this! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Stacey Pirtlestacey

      January 2, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      You are welcome, Stephanie! I am in love with this dish and can’t wait for next Christmas so we can have it again!

      Reply
  5. Avatar photoNikki Moranville

    December 16, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    Is there a place to print this out?

    Reply
    • Stacey Pirtlestacey

      December 16, 2020 at 9:09 pm

      Hi, Nikki! There is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Avatar photoJennifer Perry

    December 17, 2022 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    Just had this today and it was absolutely amazing!!!

    Reply
    • Stacey Pirtlestacey

      December 19, 2022 at 2:15 pm

      I am so tickled that you loved it! Made my day!

      Reply
  7. Avatar photoSavannah

    December 22, 2024 at 4:56 pm

    This looks amazing! I plan on making this Tuesday; how long should I bake it for if I refrigerate overnight?

    Reply
    • Stacey PirtleStacey

      December 23, 2024 at 9:36 pm

      Hi, Savannah! Awesome!! The bake time should be the same- 50 minutes or until the egg mixture is puffed and topping is bubbling. I think you’re going to love it! Merry Christmas!

      Reply

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Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

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