Triple Chocolate French Toast

Buttery croissants soaked in a hot chocolate batter, coated in crushed cocoa puffs, fried until toasty, then topped with a finale of white chocolate ganache!

I have to admit something. I wasn’t always a french toast gal. Growing up, it was probably my least favorite among all the breakfast sweets. Pancakes or waffles were my jam back in the day. However, it wasn’t until more recently that my opinion of french toast changed…

Ya see, the traditional way of preparing french toast, i.e. dipping sliced white bread in egg batter, cooking it up, then topping it with maple syrup just never cut it for me. Eggy, flimsy toast? No thank you. If I’m gonna eat french toast, it’s gotta be dressed to the nines. That’s why I decided to amp things up just “a little” with this TRIPLE Chocolate French Toast…

You might be wondering whether this even qualifies as breakfast. If you’ve been following me long enough, you should already know my answer…

HELLS TO THE YES IT IS!!!

And why wouldn’t it be?? It’s made the same way as traditional french toast with just a few minor adjustments…

Let’s start with the bread. I used these medium-sized croissants because A) they make the perfect french toast with their pillowy softness and buttery chew and B) they were in the bakery clearance rack for half-off. If I’m being honest though, reason B was the determining factor. 

As for the batter, it’s pretty much your basic french toast batter but with the addition of hot chocolate mix. Any brand or flavor will due. I used a simple milk chocolate mix. Just add 1/4 cup of it to the rest of the ingredients (egg yolks, milk, flour, salt, and vanilla), whisk it all up, and soak those buttery babes until they’re chocolate wasted!

After the chocolate bath, the croissants are given yet another dose of chocolate love when they’re dredged in crushed cocoa puffs. I think my main issue with basic french toast was that it always had a soggy, limp texture. Thanks to the crushed cocoa puff coating, this french toast has that crisp exterior yet fluffy interior that we all long for. Perfecto!

If you’re gonna make french toast the right way, ya gotta make sure that you have plenty of fat to fry it up in. I like to use a combination of vegetable oil and butter. The butter adds flavor, while the vegetable oil prevents the butter from burning. A tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil for each batch is a good start. 

Once beautifully browned and toasted, the french toast gets its third and final dose of chocolate amore when it’s drizzled with a luxurious stream of white chocolate ganache.

Triple Chocolate French Toast

Buttery croissants soaked in a hot chocolate batter, coated in crushed cocoa puffs, fried until toasty, then topped with a finale of white chocolate ganache!

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

  

White Chocolate Ganache:

• 5 ounces white chocolate chopped or chips
• ⅓ cup heavy cream

Cereal Coating:

• 3 cups Cocoa Puffs cereal

French Toast:

• 4 medium-sized croissants preferably day-old
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup hot chocolate powder
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• Vegetable oil and butter for cooking**

Instructions

 

Make the Ganache:

• Place chocolate and heavy cream in a medium bowl. Heat in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, or until it begins to boil. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If still lumpy, return to the microwave for another 15 seconds, remove and stir until smooth.

Make the Coating:

• Place Cocoa Puffs in a gallon ziploc bag, seal, then crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a shallow dish.

Make the French Toast:

• Place a wire rack onto a rimmed baking sheet. Slice the croissants in half.
• In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg yolks, hot chocolate powder, flour, salt, vanilla, and milk until blended.
• Soak the croissants in the milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, about 10 seconds per side. Pick up the croissant slice and allow excess mixture to drip off. Transfer to the crushed Cocoa Puffs, gently press coating onto croissant, flip over, and repeat with the other side. Place coated croissant onto another baking sheet; repeat with the remaining croissants.
• In a skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Once hot enough, transfer four croissant slices to the skillet and cook until golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet with the wire rack*, wipe the skillet with a paper towel, and repeat cooking with the remaining croissants, adding 1 Tablespoon more oil and butter for the last batch. Serve french toast warm with white chocolate ganache.

Notes

*If not serving right away, french toast can be kept warm in a 200ºF oven while the rest of the french toast is being fried up.