Sunday mornings call for brunch. It is customary whether you make something at home or go out to a local favourite. Brunch and food become even more prevalent in these cold January winter mornings. One just wants to cozy up inside, and indulge in some tasty and wholesome meals.
Although I am not a fan of breakfast, I do enjoy big breakfasts, as I have mentioned in previous posts. Things like pancakes, waffles, frittatas etc. I have shared two scrumptious recipes like my lemon mascarpone pancakes and a recipe for baked blueberry french toast. However, sometimes old classics are more appropriate for certain Sunday mornings compared to others. Like my recipe for Chocolate Milk French Toast.
This recipe is a spin on an old classic with two unique ingredients. The first being chocolate milk and the second being egg whites. Customarily, french toast recipes call for a custard base mixture – lots of eggs and milk. And while I cherish old classics, I also like exploring new methods.
I decided to incorporate the use of egg whites into my french toast a couple of weeks ago we I was left with a bowl of them from a previous meal. Now there is only so much egg white omelets and scrambled eggs one can eat. And to be quite frank I really do not like the taste of them. My eggs need their yolk. So I endeavoured to explore some other uses for the egg whites. A recipe that did not call for much time or prep work. Normally one could make macarons, or perhaps a meringue buttercream. But I needed a recipe that could be whipped up in no time and eaten by everyone.
It just so happened that I had some old bread sitting in my fridge, and that is when the genius idea hit me. Why not mix the two? I scoured the internet for a recipe (I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to make something meh tasting), but sadly did not come across anything. I primarily found “healthy” French Toast, the involved egg whites, some milk, and sugar. As you know, I am not a big believer in healthy, considering all my recipes involve lots of butter and sugar 😉 !
Nevertheless, I knew that I was on to something with egg white chocolate milk french toast. And if the internet touted this as healthy then who was I to argue otherwise?
CHOCOLATE MILK AND POTATO CHIPS
Remember when that was a thing? When we were younger during elementary school, that phrase was employed to help us stay on beat. Well, I can tell you this recipe has chocolate milk, but no potato chips.
Instead, I add cinnamon, cardamom and Bailey’s to make this an indulgent and flavour packed recipe. The best part is that when you fry these babies, the smell that wafts through is divine! No fried egg-y smell. Just cinnamon and chocolatey goodness.
Now you may be wondering what to do if you have leftover egg yolks after making this recipe. Fear not. I have two options. You can either make some ice cream, like my Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, or you can make my Baked Blueberry French Toast, that uses egg yolks instead. That way you basically have brunch meals for 2 days instead of one! Aren’t I a genius 🙂 ?
Finally, I fry my french toast for that added crispiness. Sunday brunch is meant to be indulgent and delicious, therefore you are entitled to some fried goodies. Plus we are using egg whites so technically we are being healthy! I serve this with some real Canadian maple syrup and a berry compote (see, another added element of healthiness!). Feel free to add whatever else you please.
Chocolate Milk French Toast
French toast is always the perfect meal for Sunday brunch. However, the custard mixture can sometimes be heavy. This recipe uses egg whites, along with chocolate milk and other spices to create a dish that will really impress family and friends.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup chocolate milk
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla exract
- 1 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
- 2 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
- 1 tsp Kahlua (optional)
- 8 slices, thick day old bread (I cut my bread to about 1.5-2 inches thick)
Instructions
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In a casserole dish, whisk together all the ingredients for the French Toast base. Be sure to whisk well in order to break the egg whites and have them incorporate with the other ingredients.
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In a medium size non-stick frying pan, heat 1 - 1.5 inchs of canola oil over medium high heat. Depending on the thickness of your bread you may need more or less oil. The oil should cover half the height of the bread (the crust side).
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Dip the bread into the egg white mixutre, making sure to saturate both sides. Place the bread into the hot oil and cook on medium-low, for 2-3 minutes on each sidde or until the french toast is nicely brown and cooked through.
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Serve immediately, or let it rest on baking tray in a preheated oven (300F) until ready to serve). Feel free to top the french toast with whip cream, maple syrup, berry compote or icing sugar!
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Brunch is a time to indulge and satiate your hunger for food that is scrumptious and wholesome. French toast is a classic breakfast meal but my recipe throws a spin to an old favourite by introducing new flavours. Here’s to staying warm and cozy during these chilly winter months!
