Lunch: Easy Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Make breakfast a breeze with an easy recipe for cinnamon French toast sticks, perfect for dipping and dunking in maple syrup.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Easy Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

8 slices thick-cut Texas toast (See Kelly's Notes)
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Unsalted butter, for cooking
Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

Cut each slice of Texas toast into four sticks. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat it on all sides so that it's well-saturated with the custard.
Shake off any excess and place the coated bread on a large plate or baking dish. Repeat the dipping process with the remaining pieces of bread.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, place several of the coated sticks in a single layer in the pan. (Do not overcrowd the pan.) Cook until golden brown on one side then flip and continue cooking until the sticks are golden brown and slightly crisped on all edges.
Serve immediately with maple syrup for dipping.
Kelly's Notes: Day-old bread that's slightly dried out works best for French toast since it will soak up the most custard.
Thick-cut bread with sturdy crusts is essential for this recipe, as the crusts help the sticks hold their shape. If you prefer regular French toast, skip slicing the Texas toast into sticks or use a crusty French baguette sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds.