Awesome French Toast Casserole and Buttermilk Syrup

This is an awesome breakfast!! One of the best parts is that you make it the day ahead and pop it in the oven in the morning. The worst part = I hate cutting/touching cream cheese, but I love eating it. It is good with regular syrup, but AMAZING with buttermilk syrup (which by the way, would make anything smothered in it amazing. I'm just saying.)

French Toast Casserole

from Keeping Up Cookbook

10 slices of French Bread, crusts removed (I like Country French Bread in the bakery)

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, cut into small cubes

12 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 t. cinnamon, more for sprinkling on top

1/2 t. salt

Cut bread into cubes or strips. Layer bread and cream cheese cubes in a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Whisk together eggs, milk, syrup, cinnamon and salt. Slowly pour egg mixture over bread and sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until casserole is puffed and center is set. Slice and serve hot with buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup

from Our Best Bites cookbook

3/4 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 cup real butter (no substitutions - why would you want to?)

2 T. corn syrup

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

1. Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a 4-quart pan. (It will grow, so it needs to be a big pan.)

2. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low(ish) - just make sure it's still bubbling. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 7-9 minutes or until the syrup reaches a rich golden brown. (I doubled the recipe for YWs and it took about 15 minutes.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

3. Put on any breakfast food, muffin, fruit, ice cream, cake, dessert, or licked off a spoon. Yummy!