Recipe: Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 1 pound dinner rolls, quartered
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 1/4 cups apple juice
• 1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apple, cinnamon, and cloves to pan; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar; cook 2 minutes or until sugar melts. Remove from heat.

Place quartered rolls on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 250° for 15 minutes. Arrange rolls in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over rolls; top with apple mixture. Combine apple juice and the next 5 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over roll mixture; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover dish, and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until golden.

Cooking Light, November 2007