Slow Cooker Caramel Apple French Toast

My love affair with rediscovering french toast continues. Last week it was Apple French Toast, a pile of french toast dripping with self saucing stewed apple syrup. The week before it was Parmesan French Toast (insanely delicious!). This week it's french toast sticks – eat it with your fingers (tick), tastes like cinnamon doughnuts but a whole lot healthier (double tick)!

French Toast Sticks - French toast you can eat with your fingers, tastes like cinnamon doughnuts and is on the table in 15 minutes! recipetineats.com

Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

I'm loving coming up with fresh takes on french toast! Growing up I always adored french toast but it was always the classic version drowning in syrup. When I was in uni, I discovered how good it was to pile bacon onto it, and yes, still drown it in maple syrup. I used to call this a "Heart Attack On A Plate". This was before the day when "sweet and salty" became all the rage and everyone I made this for were dubious until they took their first mouthful – then they were converted for life.

I digress. Back to these French Toast Sticks. Two big things it has going for it:

1. Food you eat with your fingers. Need I say anymore?

2. Tastes like cinnamon doughnuts. I can't admit to any of my friends that I secretly love cinnamon doughnuts, deep fried puffy goodness dusted with sugar. It's on my list of what I call "Dirty Foods", food that is oh-so-bad-for-you-I-know-I-shouldn't-eat-but-secretly-love. Throughout this blog there is no doubt that I will be disclosing many of my favourite Dirty Foods. You will probably be horrified. Or maybe not. Maybe a lot more people than I think secretly love KFC Popcorn Chicken.

French Toast Sticks - French toast you can eat with your fingers, tastes like cinnamon doughnuts and is on the table in 15 minutes! recipetineats.com

The key to french toast sticks that are stiff enough to pick up without flopping is to use stale bread and to use a block loaf you can cut yourself into thick slices (the thicker the sticks, the less they flop). This is the way I like my french toast sticks, but if you don't have a stale block loaf, it still tastes just as delicious using pre-sliced sandwich bread, it will just sag a bit when you pick it up.

I really do recommend using stale bread where possible for french toast – any french toast. It makes a huge difference because fresh bread soaks up too much egg mixture – even if you dunk it in really quickly – and you'll end up with french toast that is soggy on the inside.

This recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make, and is super easy. French Toast you can eat with your fingers – something that no kid, big and small, can possibly resist! – Nagi x

Cute spins on French Toast

Strawberry Nutella French Toast Roll Ups
Cinnamon French Toast bites
Bacon French Toast Roll Ups
Monte Cristo (Ham Cheese French Toast Sandwich)
And also – Classic French Toast!

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Servings 2 -3

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French toast you can eat with your fingers and tastes like cinnamon doughnuts!

▢ 4 thick slices white bread, preferably stale (Note 1)
▢ 2 eggs
▢ 1/4 cup milk
▢ Salt
▢ 1/3 cup white sugar
▢ 1 tsp cinnamon powder
▢ 3 tbsp butter
▢ Maple syrup to serve (optional)

Remove crust of each slice, then cut each into 3 equal thick batons.
Combine the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt in a bowl large enough to roll the bread sticks in.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar on a plate.
Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a large pan over medium high heat.
Roll the sticks in the egg mixture quickly (do not soak them), shake off excess and place in pan. Cook in 2 batches.
Turn to cook each side until golden.
Immediately transfer to the plate with the cinnamon sugar and roll to coat. It's important to do this quickly while they are hot straight out of the pan so it sticks.
Melt remaining butter and cook the remaining french toast sticks.
Serve immediately with maple syrup to dunk the sticks in.

1. Cut the slices thick enough so when you cut the crusts off then cut into 3 batons, the slices are thick, square batons about 1.7 cm / 2/3" thick.

French toast is best made using stale bread. Fresh bread soaks up too much egg mixture, making it soggy on the inside and your sticks will flop when you pick them up.

2. It is best to use a loaf so you can cut thick slices as the thicker the sticks are (and the staler the bread is), the stiffer the sticks are (ie. they won't flop when picked up using fingers).

3. Nutrition assuming this serves 3:

French Toast Sticks Nutrition

Serving: 140 g Calories: 332 cal (17%) Carbohydrates: 51.2 g (17%) Protein: 9.2 g (18%) Fat: 11.5 g (18%) Saturated Fat: 4.8 g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.7 g Cholesterol: 126 mg (42%) Sodium: 449 mg (20%) Fiber: 1.2 g (5%) Sugar: 22.6 g (25%)

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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you're short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!