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My Chocolate French Toast recipe is loaded with mouthwatering chocolate deliciousness! The delightful combination of warm spices and chocolate sauce is a delightful treat for chocolate lovers.
Here are a couple of variations for French Toast and some breakfast sides: Classic New Orleans Pain Perdu, Gingerbread French Toast with Cherry Syrup, Cheese Omelette, Creamy Cheddar Cheese Grits, and New Orleans Brandy Milk Punch.
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This recipe will show you how to add a new and fun twist to your Sunday morning breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Chocolate French Toast Ingredients
Before you start whipping up this chocolate French toast recipe, look at this ingredient list to ensure you have everything you need.
This recipe was inspired a few years back during the release of Black Panther. The only way I know how to add melanin to a dish is by using chocolate! I mean, cocoa does grow in Africa, so I know I'm on the right track.
I couldn't help but add some extra chocolate to the dish, so I made a chocolate ganache too.
Bread
You will need a few slices of brioche for this recipe. Texas toast works great too!
Dark Cocoa Powder
I love dark chocolate because it's the purest and healthiest form of chocolate. Dark cocoa is pure cocoa powder, but you can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Semi-sweet chocolate is perfect for ganache! You can use your favorite chocolate chips instead, too.
Half and Half
You want the creaminess and flavor the combination of milk and cream provides. You'll also need some heavy cream for the ganache.
Eggs
Two large eggs are needed for the egg custard to get just the right amount of creaminess.
Sugar
You only need granulated sugar.
Warm Spices
Most recipes only call for cinnamon, but I use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt. The sweetness and subtle heat the cayenne provides play well with chocolate.
Unsalted Butter
When cooking, use unsalted butter instead of salted butter, which is better suited for spreading on toast or biscuits.
Vanilla Extract
Adding a small amount will greatly enhance the taste of the French toast, which may be noticeable if you omit it.
Before you start whipping up this chocolate French toast recipe, look at this ingredient list to ensure you have everything you need.
Bread
You will need a few slices of brioche for this recipe. Texas toast works great too!
Dark Cocoa Powder
I love dark chocolate because it's the purest and healthiest form of chocolate. Dark cocoa is pure cocoa powder, but you can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Semi-sweet chocolate is perfect for ganache! You can use your favorite chocolate chips instead, too.
Half and Half
You want the creaminess and flavor that half and half provides. You'll also need some heavy cream for the ganache.
Eggs
Two large eggs are needed for the egg custard to get just the right amount of creaminess.
Sugar
You only need granulated sugar.
Warm Spices
Most recipes only call for cinnamon, but I use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt. The sweetness and subtle heat the cayenne provides play well with chocolate.
Unsalted Butter
When cooking, use unsalted butter instead of salted butter, which is better suited for spreading on toast or biscuits.
Vanilla Extract
Adding a small amount will greatly enhance the taste of the French toast, which may be noticeable if you omit it.
Make sure that your bread is a few days old or toasted. This will help the bread absorb the custard better, which will yield an amazing French toast.
How to Make Chocolate French Toast Recipe
Making chocolate French toast is not as complicated as you may think, but first, we must cover a crucial step to making French toast.
Chocolate Ganache
In a small pot, bring heavy cream, rum, butter, and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Add the chocolate chips to a bowl, pour cream over, and cover with a towel for 3-5 minutes. Stir until smooth.
Chocolate French Toast
First, make sure that you're bread is dried out. Check the next section for tips on how to do this with fresh bread.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, cocoa powder, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and vanilla extract; soak each bread slice in the egg mixture for about 10-20 seconds (depending on how stale/toasted), and drain off excess.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter, and cook French toast for 2-3 minutes on each side or until dark brown on each side. Serve warm with 2 tablespoons of room-temperature butter, a drizzle of chocolate ganache, fresh berries, and maple syrup.
I like adding a few shakes of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) or whipped cream at the table for a fun presentation.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are some tips to remember when making tasty chocolate French toast.
- Sliced bread tends to stay fresh longer than French bread, which can become stale within 1-2 days of exposure to air. If you want to make stale bread at home, here are a few methods.
- 1) To dry out both sides, place your bread slices directly on the oven racks the night before. Don't use a baking sheet.
- 2) Place the bread in a 200°F oven for 5 minutes until it's toasted.
- 3)Be cautious not to make toast; place it in the toaster on low heat for 20-30 seconds.
- You can use French Baguette, Sour Dough, Challah, Italian bread, Ciabbata, or your preferred bread to make French toast. Slice the bread thickly, around ¾ inch thick.
- Just to clarify, using gluten-free bread will also be suitable.
- You can substitute any milk in your fridge for half and half.
- Enjoy the autumn season using apple pie or pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Garnish with sliced bananas, strawberries, chocolate chips, mangoes, pecans, or whatever fruit you love!
- Ensure you incorporate enough air into the custard by beating it until large bubbles form. This indicates that you have finished.
- To bake chocolate French toast, preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a baking dish with butter. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- You can use milk, dark or bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate in the ganache.
- Feel free to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed instead of dark cocoa powder.
- The alcohol will boil out of the rum, but you can omit it altogether.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making chocolate French toast at home.
Absolutely, you can make French toast with chocolate milk! All you need to do is swap out the milk in the recipe for chocolate milk.
Beating the egg-milk mixture until large bubbles form signals you've incorporated enough air into the custard base. This extra air will make French toast fluffy.
For French toast that's not soggy, use stale bread that's one day old because its dry texture soaks up the egg-milk mixture without getting soggy. Also, dip the bread in the egg mixture for no more than 20 seconds and cook it on medium-high heat for a crispy outside.
Texas toast is a thicker cut of sliced white bread that's perfect for French toast. French toast is day-old bread dipped in a custard base, then cooked over medium heat and served with maple syrup. You can use a variety of bread to make French toast.
The easiest way to make hot chocolate french toast is to swap out the milk in the recipe for an equal amount of hot chocolate. Here's an excellent homemade chocolate recipe to use.
container for 3 days in the fridge.
Keep them in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for 3 months.
Reheat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or in a toaster oven for 2 minutes.
Chocolate ganache can be made 3 days in advance. It hardens as it cools, so reheat as much as you need in the microwave for 15-30 seconds until melted. Keep in an airtight container on the counter for 7 days.
More Breakfast Recipes
I believe you will enjoy these recipes if you share my love for breakfast.
- Cajun Fish and Grits
- Breakfast Potato Hash
- Breakfast Bowl
- Grillades and Grits
- Peach Cobbler Pancakes
- Chocolate Waffles
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Pull all the ingredients and tools on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out into individual bowls.
Step 3: Follow the Chocolate French Toast recipe and get ready for the perfect French toast.
Making chocolate French toast at home is easy with my recipe. After you try it out, please let me know how it turns out in the comments, leave a recipe and star ratings, and tag me on social media! #LezEat
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate French Toast
Ingredients
Ganache:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 ounces 1 cup semisweet chocolate
Chocolate French Toast:
- ¾ cup half and half
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 slices brioche or Texas toast
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup grade A Maple Syrup ¼ cup per serving
Instructions
Ganache:
- In a small pot heat cream, rum, butter and sugar to a boil. Add chocolate chips to a medium bowl; pour hot cream over and cover with a towel for 3-5 minutes. Stir until smooth sit to the side and allow to cool.
Chocolate French Toast:
- In a large bowl, mix whisk together milk, cocoa powder, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and vanilla; soak bread in the egg mixture for about 10-20 seconds.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat melt 4 tablespoons of butter, cook bread for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown on each side. Serve hot with a drizzle of ganache, 2 tablespoons butter, maple syrup.
Notes
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are some tips to remember when making tasty chocolate French toast.- Sliced bread tends to stay fresh longer than French bread, which can become stale within 1-2 days of exposure to air. If you want to make stale bread at home, here are a few methods.
- 1) To dry out both sides, place your bread slices directly on the oven racks the night before. Don't use a baking sheet.
- 2) Place the bread in a 200°F oven for 5 minutes until it's toasted.
- 3)Be cautious not to make toast; place it in the toaster on low heat for 20-30 seconds.
- You can use French Baguette, Sour Dough, Challah, Italian bread, Ciabbata, or your preferred bread to make French toast. Slice the bread thickly, around ¾ inch thick.
- Just to clarify, using gluten-free bread will also be suitable.
- You can substitute any milk in your fridge for half and half.
- Enjoy the autumn season using apple pie or pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Garnish with sliced bananas, strawberries, chocolate chips, mangoes, pecans, or whatever fruit you love!
- Ensure you incorporate enough air into the custard by beating it until large bubbles form. This indicates that you have finished.
- To bake chocolate French toast, preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a baking dish with butter. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- You can use milk, dark or bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate in the ganache.
- Feel free to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed instead of dark cocoa powder.
- The alcohol will boil out of the rum, but you can omit it altogether.
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