Samantha Nicole Imagine waking up to the sweet smell of cinnamon lingering throughout your home. That sounds like a dream come true! Cinnamon Toast Casserole can bring that dream to life and we’re confident that once you taste it, you’ll think it’s sweeter than any dream you’ve ever dreamt! Stumbling out of bed, you’ll indulge in bites of your favorite crusty bread, coated in a luscious brown sugar-cinnamon butter mix. Can you believe it gets even sweeter? This sweet treat encloses your favorite juicy fruit that creates a syrupy, delightful filling. Drizzled with some sticky maple syrup, you’ll have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not actually dreaming! Ready for the best morning ever? Cinnamon Toast Casserole will actually make your dreams come true!
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
- kosher salt, to taste
- 2 pounds fruit mixture of your choice, like sliced apples, wedged stone fruit, blackberries, and/or blueberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 loaf challah, brioche, or pullman bread, sliced 1/2-inch-thick
- maple syrup, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Place a rack in the middle of the oven.
Step 2 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 3 –Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
Step 4 –In a small bowl, mix the sugar, the cinnamon, the cardamom, and the salt.
Step 5 –In a medium bowl, toss the fruit, the vanilla, and 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture together.
Step 6 –Spread the butter in a thin layer across one side of each slice of the bread, working the butter all the way to the edges.
Step 7 –Generously sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the buttered side of the bread slices.
Step 8 –Add any of the remaining sugar mixture to the fruit mixture.
Step 9 –Place about 1/2 of the bread slices along the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking dish, placing the sugared sides down and overlapping slightly.
Step 10 –Scatter the fruit mixture over the bread.
Step 11 –Top the fruit mixture with the remaining bread slices, placing the sugared sides up and shingling to ensure the fruit mixture is covered.
Step 12 –Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil.
Step 13 –Set a cast-iron skillet on top of the foil to weigh down the casserole.
Step 14 –Bake the casserole until the juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes-1 hour.
Step 15 –Carefully transfer the casserole from the oven and remove the skillet and the foil.
Step 16 –Bake, uncovered, until the top is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 17 –Let the casserole cool for 20 minutes.
Step 18 –Serve with a drizzle of the maple syrup.
