Banana and Nutella Stuffed French Toast

Banana and Nutella Stuffed French Toast - made September 13, 2013 from Just a Taste

I was still on my stuffed French toast kick when I saw these on pinterest so of course I had to make them.  Although technically they might be considered breakfast food, that's never stopped me from having them for dinner and they were literally a quick "meal" to put together.

Although the recipe calls for 8 slices of bread, I only used one generous slice and made a half recipe of the custard because I can't eat more than 1 stuffed French toast at a time and they're best when they're freshly made.  Turned out to be a good call as, while these were good, portion control is key as it was also a little more rich than I'm used to having for a meal, especially dinner.  It was probably because I discovered too late that I didn't have any maple syrup so instead I just warmed up some nutella and used that as the topping as well as the filling.  Good concept but by the last bite, I was on overload. Still, if you ever want to go fancy for a company brunch, these are a good indulgence.

8 1-inch thick slices bread

¼ cup Nutella hazelnut spread
2 bananas, sliced, plus additional for serving
¾ cup heavy cream
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
Butter, for frying
Maple syrup, for serving

1. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket inside each slice of bread being careful not to split the bread into two slices.
2. Spread a portion of the Nutella inside each pocket and then layer in the sliced bananas.
3. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough butter to liberally coat the bottom of the pan. You want the pan to be hot, but not smoking.
4. Whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl, and then dip each filled bread pocket into the mixture ensuring the bread is fully soaked on all sides. Repeat with the remaining filled bread pockets.
5. In batches, fry the soaked slices of bread until the egg mixture is fully cooked, about 3 minutes per side.
6. Top the French toast with additional banana slices and serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup.