Rum raisin bread pudding meets festive holiday French toast in this mouthwatering overnight eggnog French toast bake. Made with hearty hunks of cinnamon raisin bagel, eggnog, warm spices, a touch of bourbon, and vanilla. With a sweet crunchy pecan topping and delicate maple mascarpone glaze. 
Bagels
This is what I consider the ultimate special occasion (e.g. Christmas morning) breakfast bake. Bagels make the perfect conduit for overnight French toast because they soak up all the flavors and richness of the custard while retaining such hearty texture and chew. Here we use cubed cinnamon raisin bagels, giving the dish the added nostalgia of a rum raisin bread pudding.
Eggnog
The eggnog (+ nutmeg, cinnamon, and bourbon) works its magic by adding richness to the texture and warm comforting holiday flavor… not to mention a Christmas morning aroma for your home. Plus, French toast is the best way to make use of the eggnog that one family member always insists on buying but no one else will finish drinking. It’s the secret to getting everyone on board the eggnog train.
Toppings
The top gets perfectly crisp and toasty, complete with a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping. Meanwhile, the center is thick, soft, rich, and moist, but stilled formed and chewy throughout.
Finally, the maple mascarpone glaze is to-die-for. Mascarpone is the Italian sister of cream cheese, with a creamier, smoother texture, and a milder, less tangy taste. Simply stir together 3:1 mascarpone with maple syrup plus a splash of vanilla, and you have the most heavenly, addictive creamy glaze that you will be slathering on everything. Importantly, it’s not a sugary icing to overwhelm your breakfast, but the luscious, lightly sweet touch that takes your French toast over the top.
Process
Another reason to make this overnight baked French toast: IT’S UNBELIEVABLY EASY. Whisk together the custard and soak the bagel cubes the night before, and in the morning you’re ready to pop it in the oven for about 35 minutes. The pecan crumble is just pecan pieces, butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon that you can mix with your fingers in 2 seconds and sprinkle on top near the beginning of baking.
Meanwhile, simply stir together the mascarpone, maple, and vanilla… no electric mixers involved.
It’s the comfort of a warm soft cinnamon roll without the icing overload, the heartiness of French toast, and the indulgent feel of bread pudding in the most delicious and flavorful, perfectly sweet, festive, easy overnight bake.
Eggnog Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast
Ingredients
For the French toast:
- ~8 oz cinnamon raisin bagels (3 bagels using Dave's Killer Bread bagels), cut into cubes
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk (whole, 2%, or 1%)
- 3/4 cup eggnog
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2-3 packets natural calorie-free sweetener (or additional 1.5 Tbsp brown or white sugar)
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 T bourbon whiskey
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
For the pecan topping
- ~1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- sprinkle ground cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 2 oz (1/4 cup) mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1.5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cut bagels into 1-inch (bite-sized) cubes.
- In a large storage container, whisk together the eggs, milk, eggnog, brown sugar/sweetener, vanilla, bourbon, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add the bagel cubes and toss to coat evenly in the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9" square baking dish with butter or baking spray. Transfer the soaked bread into the prepared dish (pouring any excess egg mixture over top). Transfer the dish to the oven. Bake, uncovered, about 35-40 minutes.
- Immediately make the pecan topping by adding pecans, brown sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon to a small bowl and hand-mixing until evenly combined. Within the first 10 minutes of baking, quickly remove the French toast, sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over the top, and return to the oven.
- Make the glaze by adding softened mascarpone, maple syrup, and vanilla to a small bowl. Mix until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Bake the French toast until the center is set (no "wet spots"). The top should be lightly browned and toasted. (If the top starts to brown too much before the center is done, loosely cover with foil to finish baking).
- Remove the French toast from the oven and cool a few minutes before slicing. Serve drizzled with mascarpone glaze.