French Toast Sticks

I was introduced to French Toast Sticks by a friend at work.. a couple of times a week she would stop on her way to work and get some.  So finally I HAD to try them too.   Ohhh my.. they were very tasty indeed.
 

But unlike my friend, who was skinny no matter what she ate.. I was not.  I had to watch it.. so it became a once in a while treat.

Fast forward a few years… and I’m sitting at my desk planning out my blog posts.. and for some unknown reason I remembered French Toast Sticks.  A quick Google search yielded a number of recipes, none did anything to “float my boat”.  Too soft… not enough crunch.. odd additions… too plain…  So I set out to experiment.

I had been experimenting and trying all kinds of recipes… without much success lately… even the recipes I followed to the letter… just were not.. in my opinion… blog worthy.  I’m pretty picky about what I post here… recipes have to work… and work well.   I haven’t posted much this month for a variety of reasons.. and lack of success is among them.  So with a not-so-good track record this month.. I set out to try and come up with a good French Toast Sticks recipe. 

I’m happy to say .. this one worked… worked well… in fact extremely well…  it was easy… no fancy ingredients or pans needed… and not fat laden either.  So this is something you can make and not feel guilty about fat and calories.

TIPS

I used Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal… yes folks.. that IS the secret ingredient here.  Don’t skimp and buy store brand cereal.. buy the real thing.. it will be well worth it.

I put a couple of handfuls of cereal in my mini processor to make the crumbs.  You want it to be the consistency of regular bread crumbs you buy in the store… large pieces don’t stick well to the bread.. so make sure they are all chopped up… not too fine..

You can use real eggs (which is what I have listed here).. but egg beaters (egg substitute) works just as well…. don’t use the egg white version..  for some reason those don’t beat up very well.

I use Fat Free Half and Half… can’t say enough good things about the stuff… great in coffee.. great to cook with… has a long shelf life in the fridge… that’s what I used in my egg mixture… you can use regular half and half or whole milk.. but the half and half gives a good creamy texture .. it seems the crumbs stick to it well.
 

I used regular white sandwich bread… no need to buy extra thick bread.  Wheat and butter breads work also.

I used real butter … my only concession to fat in this dish.. you just can’t beat the flavor… the good news is … you don’t need much.   I used a little less than 2 tablespoons… for all of the 4 slices of bread (cut into thirds) … just heat your pan and cut a tablespoon with a knife.. stick the point of the knife in and slide it all over your pan.. letting it melt as you go… just enough to coat it.  Add bits of butter as you need it for the rest of the French Toast Sticks.

To further cut calories.. you can use a reduced calorie syrup for dunking them.

Enjoy this special treat.. you will love this.. quick… easy.. and delicious!

Recipe:  French Toast Sticks

All you need:

4 slices of bread, cut into thirds

3 eggs (or egg substitute)

Dash of Fat Free Half and Half

1 teaspoon vanilla

About 2 cups of crumbs of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

2 tablespoons butter

Syrup

All you need to do:

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs, half and half, and vanilla until well mixted.

Place the crumbs in another shallow bowl.

Place a piece of bread (1/3 of a slice) into the egg mixture for about 30 seconds, turning once.

Place the soaked bread in the crumbs… lightly tossing crumbs over it and gently pressing the crumbs on.  repeat until you have coated all the bread pieces.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Swirl a small piece of butter around to just coat the surface.  *See TIPS

Add the coated bread in batches .. careful not to crowd the pan… so you can easily flip them.  When the bottom is golden, flip over and cook until the other side is golden also.

Remove to a plate and serve with syrup for dipping.