New Year's Brunch, January 1, 2015

I don't usually do anything special for New Year's breakfast or brunch, but this year, I decided it would be fun. So, we had a French toast bake with apples, walnuts, & cranberries and some bacon. I usually am not a huge fan of French toast, but this bake was really yummy! It also allowed me to utilize the leftover bread cubes from last night's fondue.

French Toast Bake with Apples, Walnuts, and Cranberries

6 thick slices bread, cubed

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. milk, heated

1 or 2 apples, peeled and diced (I used a Honeycrisp and a Pink Lady)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1 1/2 tbsp. butter

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/4 c. dried cranberries

Maple syrup, for serving (I like mine heated)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bread in a greased 8x8 baking pan. Whisk milk into eggs, a little at a time and stirring constantly. Pour over bread. Mix the apples, nuts, butter, and syrup and cook until apples are a bit softened. Spread over bread. Scatter cranberries over it all. Bake 1/2 hour. Serve with additional syrup. Serves 4-6.