Baked Stuffed Banana Granola French Toast

Around noon today, my tummy started rumbling, as it often does. However, it was extra rumbly today because I forgot to eat breakfast. This does not happen very often. I rarely forget a meal.

My brain said it was time for a sandwich, but my belly said "yo lady, send down the breakfast food".  So, I rummaged around the kitchen to see what I could scrounge up.

I grabbed a couple of bananas that were taking their last gasping breath, some granola bars, cream cheese and eggs, and decided to experiment with a new stuffed French toast idea.

Stuffed French toast is pretty popular in this house. But if I were to make it the way I'd truly like it, it would be encrusted with a nut topping. The creamy/crunchy thing really works for me, but the little people will have none of that nut thing.

When I saw the box of granola bars, I had a wonderful idea.....

But first things first. I took some cream cheese mixed with brown sugar and vanilla, and spread it on some bread which I topped with sliced banana. This is a great way to use up ripe bananas.

Then I topped it with another slice of bread. In total, I made three of these sandwiches and then I sliced them into strips.....

This way it fits in the pan better.

Now here comes my genius granola idea....

Granola bars have a good crunch to them. And even though mine do have nuts in them, they aren't so nutty that the kids won't eat the finished dish. I get crunch, they don't see any obvious hunks of nuts. Win win.

After I crushed up a few bars, I realized I had a bowl of granola cereal. I could've just stopped here and grabbed some milk and a spoon, but I'm glad I forged ahead......

After whisking together some eggs, milk and vanilla, I poured the mixture over the stuffed bread.

Next went the granola topping.

Then I covered it with some tinfoil and into the oven it went.

Holy yum.

And then my belly said I forgive you for not feeding me sooner. The end.

Baked Stuffed Banana Granola French Toast

6 slices of thick bread (I used Pepperidge Farm Hearty White)

8oz cream cheese (room temp)

2 Tbsp brown sugar, divided

2 tsp vanilla, divided

2 ripe bananas, sliced

10 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 Tbsp butter

4 pkgs granola bars crushed (the packs with two bars, any flavor)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x10 baker with butter, and sprinkle 1 Tbsp of brown sugar on bottom of dish. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla. Spread one third of this mixture on top of one slice of bread. Top with banana slices and another piece of bread to form a sandwich. Do this three times in total.

Slice sandwiches into strips and place into baking dish. Whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour on top of sandwiches and finish by sprinkling granola on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for ten more minutes. Serves 6.

Now think of the possibilities....

You could stuff this with any fruit your heart desires. Strawberries, blueberries, apple, peaches. You name it. And you can use any flavor granola bars you have in your pantry/stockpile. A simple, affordable, hearty dish that would be just perfect for your family breakfast or even a dish to take to a fancy brunch.

And if you get nothing else from this post, you've learned that you can make some dirt cheap granola cereal with your Nature Valley granola bars. Have you ever checked out the price of granola cereal? You're welcome.