Ice Cream French Toast (Printable)

Rich custardy toast with melted ice cream and caramelized edges, perfect for a decadent brunch treat.

# What You Need:

→ Bread

01 - 8 slices thick-cut bread (brioche or challah), slightly stale

→ Custard

02 - 2 cups premium ice cream (vanilla or preferred flavor), melted
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
05 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
06 - Pinch of salt

→ For Cooking

07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ To Serve (optional)

08 - Maple syrup
09 - Fresh berries
10 - Powdered sugar

# How To Make It:

01 - Whisk together melted ice cream, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl until smooth and combined.
02 - Preheat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
03 - Dip each bread slice into the custard, soaking both sides for 10–15 seconds and letting excess drip off.
04 - Place soaked slices onto the skillet and cook 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown and caramelized, adding more butter as needed.
05 - Transfer cooked slices to a wire rack or serving plate and repeat with remaining bread.
06 - Serve warm topped with maple syrup, fresh berries, and a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The melted ice cream makes the custard so creamy that you'll wonder why anyone uses milk.
  • It cooks faster than traditional French toast because the custard is already emulsified and rich.
  • Even regular bread transforms into something elegant, so you don't need fancy ingredients to feel like you're cooking something special.
02 -
  • Slightly stale bread is not a compromise; it's essential, because fresh soft bread will turn into mush before it caramelizes.
  • The custard mixture will seem thin compared to traditional French toast batter, but that's correct and exactly why it works so well.
03 -
  • Use the thickest bread you can find because thin slices will cook through before they have time to caramelize properly.
  • If your ice cream is too soft when you pull it from the freezer, let it sit out for exactly the amount of time it takes to gather your other ingredients; you want it melted but still cold, not room temperature.
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