Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

I love French Toast and when I make it I usually make a lot and freeze it so that on a busy morning we can just take a few slices out of the freezer and pop them into the toaster oven and leave the house having had a yummy, warm breakfast.

Sometimes though I want French Toast without the time commitment & effort of making a big batch. This Cinnamon French Toast Casserole recipe is great...and you can eat it for left-overs for 3 more days or cut it into portions and freeze it for later.

I found this recipe in the book "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Family Favorites" that I checked out from the library. I had to cut down the cooking time by 15 minutes and I only had quick oats on-hand even though the recipe calls for old-fashioned rolled oats.

It is so tasty and moist and it's great with or without pure maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

One 1-pound loaf sliced cinnamon swirl bread, each slice cut into quarters
2 tbs cold, unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
8 large organic eggs
2 cups half-&-half
1 cup whole milk (1% or 2% is okay too)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:

3 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashion rolled oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Coast the inside of the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add half the bread quarters to the crock and sprinkle with the slices of butter. Add the remaining bread quarters.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-&-half, milk, maple syrup, nutmeg and salt. Pour over bread. Press down gently to soak all the bread.
3. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and work them into a crumble. Sprinkle over the top of the bread mixture. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/4 hours, until the sides are browned and the center is set. Thermometer inserted into the center should register 190F.
4. Let the casserole rest, covered, in the turned-off cooker for 15 minutes before serving.