Cinnamon French Toast Cups...Amazing

Oh.My.Goodness. I do declare these muffin cups are amazing. They're a hybrid of french toast and bread pudding. Seriously, what could be better? Laced with vanilla and scented with cinnamon, these little cups are bundles of joy. They're perfect portion control and are super easy to make. I love how perfectly sweet they are! Bacon would make a perfect salty sidekick for these delectable cups. These are perfect on their own but a little syrup wouldn't hurt either.

I crafted these little delights from some leftover cinnamon sugar swirl bread I made over the weekend. The idea came from a photo The Kitchn regrammed on Instagram. I cut the bread into 1 inch thick slices, toasted the slices and then cut them into 1 inch cubes. I'm sure store bought cinnamon swirl bread would be just as wonderful, or use challah with a little bit of cinnamon added to the custard for a similar flavor.  Whichever bread you use, this silky vanilla custard is sure to impress!

TIPS:

• If you don't have homemade cinnamon swirl bread, it's fine to purchase some, or substitute brioche or challah, add a little cinnamon.
• These cups are great for on the go. 
• Wrap in plastic wrap and then freeze in a Ziploc bag for an easy breakfast option, then warm in the microwave for 10 seconds. (Many said they ate theirs cold and loved it that way!)

RECIPE:
Makes 6 standard muffin cups

2 1/2 cups cinnamon swirl bread (this is the amount after the bread is toasted and cut into 1 inch slices, I used 2 1 inch thick cinnamon swirl bread slices to yield 2 1/2 cups)

2 large eggs

7 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons 1% milk

Lightly toast 2 slices of thickly sliced cinnamon swirl bread until toasted but not golden (to dry out bread). I toasted my bread in a toaster oven set to the medium toast setting because the cinnamon bread is dry and toasts slower. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put muffin liners into muffin pan or grease. Cut toasted bread into 1 inch cubes, set aside. In a medium sized mixing bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, cream and milk. Add bread cubes to the muffin liners until filled. Spoon 1/4 cup of the egg mixture over each muffin. Push bread down lightly to coat all the cubes. Wait five minutes for the egg mixture to absorb.  Divide the remaining egg mixture evenly amongst the muffins and wait another 5 minutes. Bake for 13 minutes or until done. Cups are done when egg mixture has set. To test, put a knife into the center of a muffin. If the egg hasn’t set in the cut away section, continue baking. 

Spoon 1/4 cup of mixture over each muffin. Push bread down lightly to coat.

After waiting 5 minutes, spoon 1/4 cup of mixture over each muffin.  Let stand 5 minutes. 

Here they are fresh out the oven!