Mother’s Day is right around the corner! This Overnight Cream Cheese-Stuffed Lemon French Toast with Strawberries is the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast or brunch. It can be made the night before. More importantly, it’s so delicious that you’ll forget about the fact that no one has changed the toilet paper roll and that all you really want is a nap, lunch with your girlfriends, and the dishes done by someone else. So. Send this to your significant other, drop some hints, and let them know that you want a) this French toast, b) all toilet paper rolls readily stocked, and c) that a nap (alone) is the greatest gift of all.
I love the idea of the blueberry-cream cheese overnight French toast–you guys know what I’m talking about, right? But I can never get past the big chunks of cream cheese. It just doesn’t work for me. But I kept that idea in mind when coming up with this recipe because I want so badly to like it.
One of my favorite things in the universe are cream cheese filled croissants. Also right up there are strawberries and lemons together. I also love French toast made with croissants instead of regular bread because the texture is so fabulous. So…this recipe is kind of a combination of all my guilty pleasures.
You’ll need about 6 large, stale croissants, softened cream cheese, a couple of fresh lemons, eggs, milk, lemon extract, powdered sugar, and lemon extract.
You’ll also need Strawberry Sauce, sliced fresh strawberries, and sweetened whipped cream for serving.
Combine the softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar,
the zest from one lemon
(a Microplane will be your best friend here),
and the strained juice from one lemon
(about 2 tablespoons) in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Slice the croissants in half lengthwise.
and generously spread the bottom half of each croissant with the cream cheese mixture, using all of the cream cheese.
Press the croissant tops down onto the cream cheese, flattening them a little.
If you need to, cut them into halves (or even fourths, depending on what you need to do to fit them into the pan…you also may not need to cut them at all) and place them into a 9×13″ pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Whisk together 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon extract, and the zest of another lemon.
Pour evenly over the croissant mixture
Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight for for 8-10 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Place the covered pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the croissants are golden brown and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.
Cut into squares and serve with strawberry sauce, sliced strawberries, and, if you want (how could you not want), sweetened whipped cream.
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Cream Cheese-Stuffed Lemon French Toast with Strawberries
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10-12
Description
A delicious overnight French toast utilizing stale croissants, cream cheese filling, and bursting with fresh strawberry and lemon.
Ingredients
- 6 large, stale croissants
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese (light is fine)
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 lemons
- 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- Strawberry Sauce
- Sliced fresh strawberries
- Sweetened Whipped Cream
Instructions
Slice the croissants in half lengthwise. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, zest of one lemon, strained juice of one lemon (about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons), and 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Spread the lemon cream cheese mixture over the bottoms of the croissants and then replace the tops, pressing down to flatten. If necessary, cut into halves (or even fourths if necessary; you may not need to cut them at all) and arrange the pieces evenly in a 9×13″ pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, lemon extract, zest from the second lemon, and remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Pour evenly over the croissants and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 8-10 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 30 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the croissants are golden brown and the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the oven and allow it to stand for 5-10 minutes. Cut into squares and top individual servings with Strawberry Sauce, fresh sliced strawberries, and, if desired, sweetened whipped cream. Serves 10-12.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
Questions & Reviews
I tried this recipe from your website years ago, and it is SO yummy! Every time I make it, it gets rave reviews! It’s also very tasty with blueberries instead of strawberries. 🙂
Have made this recipe many times now and love it each time. Sometimes I switch up my fruits for the syrup but all the family loves this recipe! In fact, having it tomorrow and when my now married son found out he invited himself and his wife over! Hahaha! Guess I know how to get them over right?!
Thanks ladies for all your great recipes! Own all your books!
Incredible. As if there was any doubt, really but wow. Wow. Wow.
I made this for my kids’ early morning seminary class- made 2 pans. Only 1 small square left which I quickly decided could not be left to sit alone. This was amazing! Kids all loved it and were disappointed there wasn’t more…3 pans next time!
Funny Story…..So I started making these using the recipe in the cook book, but with Pillsbury croissant dough, I was having a hard time spreading the cream cheese and kept thinking about how I would keep cutting up the dough – it is already in a small triangle and why did it need an hour to bake? That is when I came on the website looking for help. That is when I had to laugh because it wasn’t dough you were using. Oh well, I think I will just do cream cheese stuffed croissants.
Mmm these are incredible!! I made them for Easter breakfast and they were divine! I didn’t have any lemon extract so I just left it out. Also, the cream cheese spread for the croissants was so good, the hubs and I were fighting over who got to lick the bowl!
I am wondering if this could be baked the night before and reheated in the morning? I want to make it for my daughter’s First Communion which is at 9 am and no one will be home to cook the food before the guests arrive to eat breakfast! I would love suggestions!
I’ve never tried it, but I IMAGINE it would be okay. You might want to do a test run ahead of time to make sure! 🙂
My husband doesn’t like lemon… Is there anything I can substitute for the lemon ingredients (maybe vanilla extract instead of lemon extract, etc)? Or should I just leave them out?
You could do any kind of citrus, or do vanilla, or almond. 🙂
This looks great. I sure wish, however, there was a way to add a picture to the recipe when I print it. Sigh….
Made this for Easter breakfast and it was scrumptious. Thanks!
i was wondering if I have to refrigerate. I was planning these for dinner and am now disappointed because I just realized they won’t be ready until breakfast. What if I don’t refrigerate and put them straight into the oven? My fault for not reading entire recipe before starting.
These were AMAZING!!! My husband and toddler loved them too! FYI, after I took the foil off, mine were completely done in 14-15 minutes. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Can you substitute something else for the lemon extract if you don’t have lemon extract on hand?
Sure, use a splash of lemon juice instead.
Just need to open my eyes. Found it. Going to try this on my crew!
Sorry just a fireman that cooks, so how do I make the strawberry sauce?
It’s in my oven right now! Can’t wait to eat it for dinner. Was going to have it for breakfast, but I overlooked the “refrigerate 8-10 hours” part the first time I read over it. It will amazing though!
Made it. Plain ol’ delicious. I sweet lemon aroma filled my house this morning. Bliss. 🙂
Thanks for the fantastic recipe! I made it this morning for a special Valentine’s Day breakfast and it was a hit. I cut the recipe in half because we have a small family, and I found that it only took about 15 minutes after I took the foil off for it to be nicely done.
I almost died and went to heaven just looking at this recipe! French Toast is my favorite breakfast…and I love anything with cream cheese and/or strawberries. I also saw your Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies…can’t wait to try both of these recipes!
I made this dish this weekend for my hubby at our cabin with a slight twist. Instead of strawberries, I used blueberries. I made a blueberry sauce ( I used the strawberry sauce recipe but replaced the berries. It was still a little chunky but not bad) and left everything else in the recipe. IT TURNED OUT AMAZING. So creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. YUM YUM YUM!!! Thanks Our Best Bites!
It’s in my fridge right now..Making it for hubby and I to eat after dinner tomorrow night..I will report back since no one has yet..I’m so excited!!
It was so good..we had it gone in 2days..YUMMY!!!!!
Soooo, if I make this and stick it in the fridge and tell my hubby to heat it up in the morning and serve it to me, does it still count as him making me breakfast in bed??? I’ll go with yes. 😀
Thanks so much for the awesome recipe. I love stuffed french toast and I can’t imagine this being anything but amazing!
That is an awesome idea. Think I will do this too. 😉
I don’ have lemon extract. Can I use lemon juice instead and how much?
I thought about that, and you can try it, but my worry is that lemon juice curdles both eggs and milk, so I worried about winding up with a big, curdly mess, you know?
sounds great!!!
Sounds Yummy! I love lemon. But I think the juice of one lemon is more 1-2 table spoons not teaspoons. Which amount should go into the cream cheese? I have loved your cookbook thank you!
You’re right–typo on my part! 🙂
Sounds like a heart attack in a pan!
guess the lady of the house will have a reason o stay in bed longer .
This looks to die for! I think I just gained 10 lbs looking at it but it’s surly an awesome V-Day treat, we all need that now don’t we!! YUM!
ohhhhhh, ahhhhhhhh…scrumptious!
Could you tell me if these turn out soggy? I cannot handle soggy French toast!
No sogginess! I can’t handle it, either.