I’m a huge fan of French toast for breakfast (or, for fancy times, breakfast for dinner), but I haven’t had it in a long time. Why? Because my family does NOT seem to enjoy it as much as I do! This is wrong, people. So. Wrong! I should have my French toast. And so I have. Despite having it many times at places like Cracker Barrel, topped with yummy fruit, I’ve never made it that way at home. From here on out, I shall not only have my French toast, darn it, but I shall have it with fruit as well.

I sometimes forget that apples are one of Fall’s Very Best Things because you can get apples all year round. But finding this French toast recipe reminded me that now is the time for apples. So seize them up, folks and get to enjoying!

You can pretty much use whatever apples are your favorite for this, but I’m a sweets gal, so I went with Gala apples. Hello, my fiends. Soon, we shall be even closer. Mmm.

If you’ve made French toast before, then you already know the routine. Some milk, a few eggs (a few in this recipe is actually six), vanilla, lots of cinnamon and some bread to appreciate it all. The recipe says to do this step first, but we decided to do it as the apples were cooking, otherwise the bread would probably have been too soggy to even get into the pan in one piece.

Somewhere along the way, I think we forgot we were doing a food blog recipe review. We forgot to take pics of the bread yummying itself on up in the pan. I think I was in a dream state at this point, something like, Oh yeah, I’m going to be enjoying you real soon now, French toast. Get. In. My. Belly.

This is an incredibly easy recipe. While it sounds like additional work to make an apple topping for French toast, it’s nothing hard and it’s completely worth it. The apples get cooked a little on their own first with a little butter, then you pour some maple syrup, simmer till the apples are tender and you’re done!

Oh my word. Yes. We are done. Or maybe undone. By the flavors!

Well now. I’m not sure what you’re all waiting for. It’s delicious maple-soaked apples on top of golden-fried breakfast bread. Game over, people! Boom. Make it. Eat it. Swoon in bliss. The end.

Apple-Maple French Toast

from Mad Hungry, April 2011, via MarthaStewart.com

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• 6 slices bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for serving
• 3 apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter, and add apples, stirring to coat until starting to caramelize. Add the water, cooking until water has evaporated and apples are tender, about 4 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of ground cinnamon in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the bread in a single layer, turning until all the egg is absorbed.

Pour in the maple syrup and a dash of ground cinnamon in with the apples; simmer for a minute to combine.

In a large, heated nonstick skillet, melt about 1 tablespoon butter and sauté the soaked bread until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes. Place French toast on a plate and top with apple-maple mixture, plus more butter if you’d like!

Notes:

We placed our bread as we were through soaking it on a plate to wait to be cooked in the pan. We had some leftover milk and egg mixture, so we poured it over the bread on the plate. No wasting, right? We were glad we waited till the apples were almost done cooking to soak the bread. Even only having been soaked for about five minutes, some of the bread almost fell apart while placing it in the pan to cook.

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