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.
Related Links
Find Valentine’s Day ideas right here.
Looking for more like this? Check out these favorites!
Overnight Baked Pumpkin Spice French Toast
Chocolate French Toast with Strawberries {Baked!}
Cream Cheese-Stuffed Lemon French Toast with Strawberries
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 9x13" 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.
Questions & Reviews
I make this every year for Christmas brunch at my daughter’s house, and also for Easter brunch at my home! Have even made while on vacation with friends as a special treat! Everyone loves it!
Have made this many times over the past several years for Easter brunch and always received many compliments.
I also made on a trip to the outer banks with friends and everyone ate it until it was gone. Just packed my lemon extract in my liquids bag for the flight and made for a lovely breakfast by the ocean.
I’m trying to make this now and I wish you’d updated the printable recipe to indicate the cream cheese was to be softened, instead of leaving that info buried in the blog post 🙁 I didn’t allow it to soften first and my cream cheese mixture is lumpy and feels ruined.