Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

By srumbel

Your family will love this Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake! The homemade strawberry syrup makes it even better!
from sixsistersstuff.com

Ingredients

• Syrup:
• 12 slices white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 12 large eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 Tablespoons butter

Preparation

Step 1

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Top with cream cheese cubes and strawberries. Layer remaining bread cubes over the strawberry layer.
In a blender, mix together half-and-half and eggs until fully incorporated. Add maple syrup and blend until smooth. Pour mixture over bread mixture.
Cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove baking dish 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake the covered casserole for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.
To make the syrup, whisk together sugar, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix strawberries into the sugar mixture and cook over medium heat until strawberries are softened, about 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until butter is melted.