Cinnamony Stuffed French Toast Sticks
These Stuffed French Toast Sticks are the ultimate breakfast “life hack” for anyone who wants a fancy brunch flavor without all the early-morning prep and cleanup. Tuck a sweet cream cheese filling between slices of bread and give them a little cinnamon sugar coating before freezing, and you’re only 10 minutes away from a hot, quick breakfast any day of the week. They bake up to a perfect golden brown right in the oven, giving you those coveted crispy edges!
A Clever Lil’ Twist on a Breakfast Favorite
I’ll be the first to admit: I love a big, fancy breakfast, but standing over a hot stove flipping soggy bread while everyone else is relaxing in their jammies just isn’t my idea of a good time.
That’s why these amazing stuffed French toast sticks are a staple in my house. They’ve got all that deep-dish, to-die-for flavor you get with good ol’ French toast. The best part about these bad boys is that once you’ve done the prep work, they’re ready to be tucked away in your freezer just waiting for a craving to hit. I’ve found that having a stash of these means I’m never more than a few minutes away from cinnamon heaven!
And if you like this recipe, you have to make my overnight stuffed French toast recipe next!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Wheat bread
- Cream cheese
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted butter
Tips for the Perfect Stuffed Sticks
- Don’t skip the freezer: It might feel like extra time, but freezing the “sandwiches” before you cut them is the best way to get clean lines without the filling squishing out.
- The “quick dip” rule: When you melt butter for the coating, make sure you dip the sticks quickly. If they soak in the butter too long, they can get soggy instead of getting those crispy edges we’re looking for.
- Bread choice: If you have stale bread or thick slices that have been sitting in the pantry, use them! Sturdier bread holds up much better to the dipping and freezing process.
- Cleanup trick: Use a shallow dish or a shallow bowl for your cinnamon sugar. It makes it way easier to roll the sticks and keeps the mess contained to one spot.
How to Make Stuffed French Toast Sticks
1. Whip Up the Filling
In a large bowl, combine your room temperature cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and sugar. Use an electric mixer and beat it until it’s smooth and dreamy.
2. Make the Sandwiches
Lay out your slices of bread in stacks of two. Spread a generous layer of that cream cheese mixture between two slices of bread to make a sandwich. Pop these on a baking sheet and slide them into the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.
3. Trim and Slice
Once they’ve firmed up, trim off the crusts (you can save those for breadcrumbs!). Cut each sandwich into three even sticks. Put them back on the sheet and freeze for another 30 to 60 minutes. This makes sure they don’t fall apart during the buttery bath!
4. Coat and Freeze
Stir together your cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Dip each frozen stick quickly into the melted butter and then roll it in the cinnamon sugar. Place them back on the baking sheet and freeze for one more hour until they are solid.
5. Bag Them Up
Once they’re frozen solid, move them into an airtight container or a zipper-seal bag. They’ll stay good in the freezer for a couple of months!
6. Bake and Enjoy
When the craving hits, just place however many you want on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. That’s it!
Storage and Leftovers
If you have leftovers after baking, you can keep them in the fridge for a day or two and just pop them back in the oven or air fryer to crisp up again. Although in my house, they usually disappear before they even have a chance to cool down!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf wheat bread
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temp
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
Cinnamon coating
- 1 cup of sugar may need to double
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon may need to double
- 1/2 cup melted and cooled unsalted butter may need to double
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Lay out the bread in stacks of two on a baking sheet. Spread filling in between each stack to make a sandwich. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and trim the crusts off the bread. Cut each sandwich into three sticks and place all sticks back on the baking sheet. Return to freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove from the freezer. Stir together the cinnamon and remaining sugar in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another small bowl.
- Dip each stick quickly in the butter and then the cinnamon sugar mixture, turning to coat. Place back on the baking sheet and repeat until all are done. Return to the freezer and freeze for one hour. After they are completely frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a zipper seal bag in the freezer until ready to use.
- To bake: Place the desired number of stuffed cinnamon sticks onto a baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Hi Christy, these look so good. I was wondering if you think these be able to be microwaved our mornings are pretty busy and 10 minutes in the oven we just don’t have time for so I wasn’t sure if you had tried to microwave them or if anybody else has tried to microwave them otherwise if not they will probably end up being saved for dessert thank you in advance for any help.
Give me just a little bit and I’ll try one and let you know. Microwave is in use right now (teenage boy and ramen is in the house!)
That’s no problem. Thank you for replying and I look forward to seeing how they turned out.
Eek I forgot! Gimme a min…
Okay! Here is the verdict. I put one on a saucer and microwaved it for about 40 seconds. The taste was still excellent but the texture was just completely different, not bad, just different. It was very soft and pillowy, like a thick soft pancake with a filling. It would have to be eaten with a fork but was still very good, just different! I certainly wouldn’t mind having them this way from time to time and then toasted when time allowed. Hope that helps and holler if you have any questions!
Thank you so much for trying it out for me. I really appreciate it. I made a batch today and plan on trying them out tomorrow morning.
Love the posts about your kids!
I wanted to tell you I have used a variation of this recipe for years! I got it out of a cookbook for kids and the recipe was called “Cinnamon Snails”. The ingredients are the same, but after you spread the mixture on the bread (with crusts already removed), you roll the bread up beginning on the long side. Then you slice off “rounds”, dip in butter and bake. They are little appitizer-sized bites that make a fun treat for the kids and we’ve even had them at parties.
A son to be proud of… Brady sounds like a real blessing. May God guide you to (continue to) be the mother he needs!
Yum, another amazing sounding recipe. I too thought it was a French toast recipe and had to do a double take… or three. : )
For Pete’s sake, Christy! You’re gonna have to start rating these posts so I’ll know whether or not to read them at work on my lunch hour. You know, like “this is a three hankie post” – just something to give us a hint that a bit of private reading time might be needed. My coworkers tend to get a bit concerned when they walk by and see my eyes dripping a bit over (what they assume to be) a recipe!
Wishing you and yours the very best. Thanks for sharing your family with us.
I enjoy reading your wonderful stories about your family. The children are lucky to have such caring and loving parents. Your words of wisdom are a great inspiration to me.
Am going to make these cinnamon fingers, sound tasty.
Thank you and God bless you and your family.
Love your stories of your family; your son is a great kid no doubt in part to his awesome “ma” and dad too I’m sure. Can’t wait to try these stuffed french toast sticks. The picture has my mouth watering.
Thank you so much Debbi!!! I hope you enjoy the cinnamon toast sticks!!
You made it and now can look back on “Brady” with a sense of humor I am sure you found hard to find at the time. My daughter became a first time mom at 43 after about 2 years she shared this with me “this mother thing is REALLY HARD” yup she is right it IS. 🙂
Yes, it is!! I don’t think any of us really just how hard it can be, or just how rewarding it can be until we are knee deep in the middle of it 🙂
So very true! I have 7 kids and I NEVER knew how much I would cry… from fear, from joy, from frustration, from feeling proud …. mothering is the BEST adventure of life!!!
Amen!!