If October were a flavor, I’d call it pumpkin. As soon the calendar turns over the first of the month, there’s pumpkin everywhere: pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin munchkins, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin creamer, pumpkin sweets to every degree, even pumpkin beer. You can run, but you can’t hide from it. And I gotta admit, I’m a pumpkin lover. I take full advantage of a pumpkin filled month, enjoying all the decadent treats and cooking with it too. This recipe’s an idea I got from my friend, Terese. We were talking about our favorite pumpkin recipes, and hers is pumpkin French toast. As soon as she said it, I started drooling, and I had to make some. You can use any bread you have in the pantry (which is usually sandwich bread in my house), but when you want to treat yourself to something extra special, use a loaf of brioche or challah bread. Both of them are sweeter breads which lend to a sweeter French toast. What’s that, you ask? Is it hard to make pumpkin French toast? Absolutely not! It’s no harder than making regular French toast. You simply add in some pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Mix that up with your eggs and other spices, and voila! Done! So simple, yet tastes so gourmet! I always love to spoil my dogs too. Ranger and Abby get the extra pumpkin egg mixture, scrambled up in a bowl. They go bonkers for it. See the end of the recipe and their pics of them loving it. How cute are they?!
Recipe for Pumpkin French Toast
Ingredients:
4 eggs
½ cup almond milk, or whichever milk you prefer
½ cup Libby's pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 slices brioche bread (You can also use challah or your favorite sandwich bread).
Cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat a large non-stick skillet to medium heat. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
Using a pie dish or shallow baking dish, add all ingredients except the bread and whisk until well combined and smooth.
Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture, one at a time, flipping to make sure both sides are coated well. Gently shake off any excess.
Place the bread in the skillet and cook until each side is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes for each side. Repeat until you've made all the bread.
Serve hot with maple syrup.
NOTE: For anyone with a dog (or cat), give your furry friend a pumpkiny treat. If you have extra pumpkin egg mixture, don't throw it away! Scrambled it in the skillet, let it cool, and give it to them. Ranger and Abby LOVE it! It's pumpkin and eggs with some yummy spice, a healthy spoiling treat!
