Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: There’s just enough chocolate to satisfy the craving but not so much that this couldn’t be an acceptable weekend breakfast. I love this French toast with fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup!
Texture: I used extra thick slices of brioche bread which made my toast slightly crisp on the outside, and light yet custardy on the inside. YUM.
Ease: Very easy, like any French toast recipe with a few extra tricks!
Appearance: Who could resist?
Pros: Fun, sinful twist on French toast.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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Want to know the secret to making perfect French toast?
The trick to making French Toast that is perfectly crisp and caramelized at the edges with a rich buttery taste is using both butter AND vegetable oil to cook with. I picked up the vegetable oil trick from Molly of Orangette and let me just say, it works perfectly. It allows the toast to crisp up on the outside while remaining ever so soft, fluffy, and almost custardy on the inside. That’s French toast perfection to me! And when you add chocolate to the mix? WOW.
Another helpful tip for this Chocolate French Toast recipe is to watch the toast carefully while it cooks. Between the chocolate and sugar in the egg mixture and the hot oil, it can go from perfect to burnt pretty fast. Just keep an eye on it, don’t walk away to do dishes or answer the phone, and use a slightly lower heat than usual.
Personally, I like really thick slices of French toast made from rich and eggy challah or brioche bread. This recipe is totally customizable, though, and you can use any type of bread in any thickness you prefer!
If you have a small skillet or want to make the toast ahead of time so you can continue making a breakfast feast, just pop the cooked toast on a baking sheet and into a 200°F oven until ready to serve and it’ll stay perfectly warm.
Don’t you just love the contrast of the powdered sugar on top of those dark slices? And the pop of red from the strawberries? Mouthwatering!
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large loaf challah or brioche bread, cut into thick slices
- Unsalted butter
- Vegetable oil
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Fresh strawberries, sliced
- Maple syrup, if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and about half the milk until the mixture forms a lump-free paste. Add in the remaining milk, eggs, and vanilla and beat until well combined. Remove the mixture to a large baking dish and add the bread, turning to coat. Soak the bread for 5 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a very large nonstick skillet pan or griddle over medium heat. Add as many soaked pieces of bread that will fit and cook until browned and lightly crisp, about 3 minutes. The extra chocolate and sugar means this will go from perfect to burnt fast – so be careful! Transfer to a baking pan and keep warm in a 200°F oven. Repeat for the remaining bread.
- Dust with confections’ sugar, if desired, and serve with strawberry slices and maple syrup.
I tried this recipe (halved) alongside another chocolate French toast recipe and this one was not as good. There is not enough sugar to balance out the chocolate, and I am a big sugar fan. Also, there is not as much cocoa as the other recipe, so it was weaker, but the other one did not have vanilla, which I will probably add to it. Kudos for trying though.
I love french toast. Can’t get enough of it. So does my boyfriend. That’s why this recipe means so much to us. Thank you so much for sharing this my dear.
Looks so juicy!!!! Will try it.
Looks so yummy!!!! Will try it.
I love french toast for breakfast, Tessa. And this chocolate french toast will make my morning looks bright and great. It’s really amazing and thanks fore the tip!
Never heard of the french toast with chocolate before. Love it. looks delicious and yummy
Tessa, this looks delicious. French toast is one of my favorite breakfast treats! And I’m right there with you and Molly, cooking the toast in oil is the way to go. Well done!
Love the tip!! My favorite kind is thick slices too!
French toast perfection!
I see no reason why a regular cocoa mix wouldn’t work.
Awesome idea!! I LOVE french toast and never thought to add chocolate to it! Great tip about using oil and butter. Can’t wait to try this for sure!
You just BLEW my mind with that butter and vegetable oil shenanigans..I NEVER KNEW.
BUT, what I do know, is that I want to eat ALL the sliced of chocolate french toasty goodness for breakfast. This looks amazing! Pinned!