Holiday French toast with apples and cranberries

By ngaldi

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
• 2 tart apples peeled, cored and thinkly sliced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 loaf Italian or French bread cut into 1-inch slices
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Step 1

Combine brown sugar, butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add apples and cranberries. Toss to coat well. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of baking dish. Arrange slices of bread on top. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon until well blended. Pour mixture over bread, soaking bread completely. Cover and refrigerate 4 - 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer.
Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.