Remember those Saturday mornings when you’d pour yourself a big bowl of cereal, park in front of the TV, and watch cartoons until your parents made you go outside? These cereal-crusted French toast sticks are basically that feeling — only grown up and dipped in maple syrup. Crunchy on the outside, soft and sweet inside, they turn breakfast into pure, nostalgic joy (and they’re perfect for dunking).
I’ve been a little MIA around here, but…well…I still work for the federal government. And let me tell you, folks, it HAS BEEN A YEAR. Even the most steady and sure leaders among us are walking around, eye twitching, making faces, looking straight out of Looney Tunes.
Which, yeah, makes me nostalgic for simpler days, when turning on the TV meant turning on cartoons, and not “dear god what fresh hell has just broken loose.”
So in that vein, let’s put down the remote, step away from the doomscrolling, and maybe enjoy something fun and frivolous just long enough to reset, and make up a delicious little breakfast treat that has rapidly become a family favorite for us.
Confetti French toast sticks!
I originally had envisioned these dusted with cinnamon and crusted with Cinnamon Toast Crunch or something along those lines, but the man creatures in my house insisted that they be Fruity Pebbles. And as they’re the ones who eat most of these while I will snack on one or two and have a smoothie, they’re the ones who get to pick (your girl has lost 30 pounds this year, and she’s aiming for more!!).
These aren’t healthy, friends. They’re a treat. But sometimes you just gotta treat yo’self, and if this recipe helps you create a little escape with some brioche and kids’ cereal, it has done its good work!
And it’s definitely a favorite with this little dude.
If you’re wondering why he’s making a face at me, he’s trying to figure out why the fresh hell he has to smile for the camera when he’s got a mouth full of French toast. Yeah, sorry, kiddo—that’s the price you pay for being cute.
Let’s cook it up!
Confetti French Toast Sticks
Equipment
- 1 deep frying pan or wok
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick bread we like brioche
- 1 cup cereal crushed
- 2 ea eggs large
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional, depending on your cereal)
- pinch salt
- oil for frying
- maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Cut each slice of bread into 3-4 sticks, depending on the size of the bread.
- Crush the cereal by placing it in a ziploc bag and gently crushing it with a rolling pin, or you can use your food processor. Place the crushed cereal in a shallow dish.
- In a bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and salt.
- Dip each bread stick into the egg mixture, making sure it's well coated but not soaking.
- Roll the egg-coated bread stick into the crushed cereal, pressing gently to make sure the cereal sticks to it. Rest on a cooling rack.
- Heat a large deep pan or wok over medium heat and add oil to your preference (we go shallow and toast all the sides rather than immersing the sticks).
- Place the coated bread sticks in the skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides (about 2 minutes a side). Batch the sticks so you don't overcrowd the pan.
- Serve the sticks warm with maple syrup for dipping, dusted with powdered sugar, or however you like!
