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31 Recipes to Cook in October 2025.
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Baked Cinnamon Apple Butter French Toast. Fall mornings are made for this cozy French toast. Thick slices of brioche (or challah) are generously stuffed with apple butter, dipped in a rich, cinnamon-spiced custard, and baked with honeycrisp apples until golden and caramelized. Finish with a swirl of salted maple cream, and every bite is warm, sweet, and absolutely delicious.
As I was writing this recipe, all I could think was, wow – this might be the best French toast I’ve ever made. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner, but I’m so excited it’s finally here.
I’ll be baking this on repeat straight into December. Honestly, it rivals my homemade cinnamon rolls — and at the moment, I couldn’t tell you which I love more!
This whole idea came about because I was bored with the usual cookies, brownies, and bars. I wanted something apple-focused that I hadn’t shared before. French toast came to mind instantly, and when I ran it by my mom (the queen of French toast), she said I had to make it. Secretly, I think she just wanted a reason to have French toast for lunch, and I can’t really blame her.
This recipe is so good it’s already going on my family’s Thanksgiving breakfast menu. My mom and my cousin Abby will be so excited!
These are the Details
Ingredients
The French Toast
- brioche or challah – even better if you can find a pumpkin or cinnamon brioche
- apple butter – definitely try my homemade
- eggs
- whole milk
- vanilla extract
- salted butter
- honeycrisp apples
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
The Salted Maple Cream
- maple syrup
- cinnamon
- bourbon – or vanilla
- heavy cream
- sea salt
The Tools
Just a pretty baking dish, mixing bowl, and sauce pot. You can use a stand mixer or electric mixer to whip the cream.
Steps
Step 1: Stuff the bread
Cut thick slices of bread. I’m using brioche, but if you can find a cinnamon bread, pumpkin brioche, or even an apple bread, those would be so yummy! Any bread will work, but I do love soft brioche or challah.
Slice each slice of bread in half, but don’t cut all the way through. Spread apple butter inside each slice, then set the stuffed bread in the prepared baking dish.
Step 2: Make the eggy batter
Whisk together the eggs, milk, cooled browned butter, and vanilla until smooth.
Dip each piece of stuffed bread into the batter, letting it soak for about 1 minute. Arrange the slices side by side in the baking dish.
Step 3: Toss the apples
Thinly slice the apples — I love using Honeycrisp and always leave the skin on.
Toss the slices with brown sugar and cinnamon, then tuck them between each slice of bread. Pour any remaining batter over the whole dish.
Step 4: Chill the French toast
Pop the dish into the fridge to let everything soak for at least 10 minutes, or up to overnight if you want to prep ahead.
Step 5: Bake
Pull the dish from the fridge and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the bread is set.
Step 6: Make the maple cream
In a small pot, warm the maple syrup with cinnamon. Simmer until steamy and fragrant, then remove from the heat and stir in a splash of bourbon or vanilla.
Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons of the infused maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt.
To serve
Dollop the maple cream over the warm French toast, then drizzle with the remaining syrup.
It’s a true fall delight! Light some candles and you’ll have the coziest autumn morning.
Looking for apple recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Haunted Pumpkin Patch Margarita
Cinnamon Crunch Apple Butter Soft Pretzel Knots
Salted Maple Apple Tarte Tatin with Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds
Cinnamon Spiced Apple Fritters with Vanilla Coffee Glaze
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
Easy Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
Glazed Honeycrisp Apple Fritter Cake
Lastly, if you make this Baked Cinnamon Apple Butter French Toast, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked Cinnamon Apple Butter French Toast
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 439 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf challah bread sliced into 1 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 cup apple butter
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted and browned
- 2 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Maple Whipped Cream
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (or 1 tablespoon vanilla)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.2. Slice each piece of bread in half, cutting almost all the way through, but leaving a 1/4 inch at the bottom. Spread the inside of the bread with apple butter (see photo above).3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, cooled butter, and salt. Submerge each piece of bread into the egg mix, allowing the bread to sit for at least a minute to soak up the eggs. Arrange the bread in the baking dish. 4. Toss the apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. Stuff the apples in between each piece of bread. Pour the remaining egg mix over the dish. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20-25 minutes, until golden. 6. Top with maple cream and cinnamon syrup. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Syrup and Maple Cream
- 1. In a pot combine the maple and cinnamon. Simmer/boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the bourbon or vanilla. 2. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream and 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon syrup + sea salt until soft peaks form.
This post was originally published on September 30, 2025
This recipe was delicious! It is a keeper! I made a couple of substitutions that worked well; 1) I used split brioche hot dog rolls for the bread, and 2) I omitted the bourbon/vanilla from the whipped cream. I refrigerated the casserole overnight and popped it in the oven the next day to determine whether it would qualify for my annual do-ahead Christmas brunch. It passed with flying colors.
Hey Stephanie,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your feedback! Have a great day!
Great recipe I loved the flavors, I unfortunately had the same issues as others with the bread being to wet. I grabbed an uncut bread and cut it myself so it was thick enough and even stacked them so they weren’t on top of each other but it still came out with the bread being mushy
Hi Deanna,
Thanks so much for trying this French toast, I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavors! Next time, I would skip pouring any leftover liquid into the baking dish, that should help!
Made this tonight and it was lovely! Used cinnamon brioche bread our local grocery store has. (Yum!) Then I just made a cream cheese type cream topping with bourbon/cinnamon/maple syrup…everything was perfect! Will definitely be making again.
Only recommendation I have is stuffing the slices of apple in the bread before dipping.
Thanks!
Hey Tayler,
Yay!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! Have the best fall weekend!
This was too sweet for me & the bread ended up incredibly soggy. I won’t make it again.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was too sweet.
Can this be frozen, and baked later?
Hey MJ,
Sure, that would work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
I’ve never seen a french toast recipe that calls for butter in the batter. What does butter add to the egg mixture? Why did you add it to the recipe? It would be great if you could share some insight into your thought process when you created the recipe.
Hi Dylan,
The browned butter adds a nuttiness to the dish that I love, but you could certainly omit it if you wanted. I hope you love this recipe!
I love a baked French toast, made this last night for breakfast for dinner night. It is extremely sweet, I would use way less apple butter in the future. The biggest issue though is the bread is very very soggy. The top got crispy and the sugar caramelized but the bottom was just too soggy. Maybe reducing the liquid would help or baking longer?
Hi Therese,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues! Next time, I wouldn’t pour any of the extra liquid into the dish, that should help!
But your own instructions say to pour the remaining egg mixture over? So if I wanted to make this should I follow the instructions or follow the advice you’re giving Therese?
Hi Jackie,
Therese had issues with the bread being too soggy, I do not have this issue which is why the recipe is written the way it. I would recommend following the recipe as written:)
I am guessing I need to let the brown butter cool before adding to the egg batter so the eggs don’t scramble? In your video on IG stories the batter seems curdled or scrambled or did you add something else in there?
Hey Paige,
Yes, I would let the butter cool slightly. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Can I leave the butter out?
Hi Katie,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!
What is the reasoning for leaving the stems, seeds & core for the final product? I feel like those can’t be too palatable…
Hi Erin,
You are not required to cut the apples in that way, you should cut the apples to your liking:) I hope you love this recipe!
Hi, this looks beautiful and I want to try it. I’m curious about the apples though, is there a reason you left the cores and stems? I’m not sure I want to eat apple cores in this. Could I dice apples instead, or slice them like I would an apple pie? Thanks!!
Hi Cheyenne,
You do not have to cut your apples like I did for mine, slicing them without the core is just fine:) I hope you love this recipe!
What are the chunks in the egg mixture, did the eggs scramble when you added the melted brown butter? I do not want mine to look like that, can I omit the butter?
Hi Kacey,
Sorry, I am not sure what chunks you are referring to. Sure, you could skip the butter if you wanted. I hope you love this recipe!
Just a clarification: Do you stuff the apples into the slice of bread with the apple butter? Or in between the slices in the baking dish?
Hi Pam,
The apples are going in between of the slices of bread in the baking dish. I hope this helps!
This turned out soooo soggy & basically just fell apart. I am so upset, I followed the recipe exactly!
Hi Kit,
So very sorry to hear this. I would say this is on the softer side, but it you use a nice thick bread, it shouldn’t fall apart. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Do you have a video for this one?
Hey Jenny,
You can currently watch me making it over on IG stories today! I hope you love this recipe!
Hi there! I’m currently dairy free for my baby girl. Do you think this recipe would work with ghee and oat milk? Thanks 🙂
Hey Karli,
Yes, that should be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out!