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crunchy baked french toast sticks on white plate with powdered sugar and syrup

Crunchy Baked French Toast Sticks

Yield: 15 French toast sticks
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Crunchy Coating:

  • 3 cups cornflakes
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Egg Mixture:

  • 4 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup milk or half and half
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

French Toast:

  • 4-5 thick slices of bread (see note)
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
  • Syrup or fresh fruit, for serving

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  • For the crunchy coating, place the cornflakes in a gallon size ziploc bag, seal, and lightly crush with your hands (or a rolling pin) until the cornflakes are in coarse pieces. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to the bag and shake until combined. Add the melted butter and mash/mix until evenly combined. Pour the cornflake mixture into a shallow dish and set aside.
  • For the egg mixture, in a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk (or half and half) and vanilla until well combined.
  • For the bread, cut each slice of bread into thirds. Dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture giving it a quick soak on both sides (don't overly saturate the bread or it will fall apart).
  • Immediately press the dipped bread into the cornflake mixture, turning to coat all sides and gently pressing the cornflakes into the bread pieces. Place French toast sticks on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes until the cornflakes are golden and the French toast is baked through (if your oven bakes hot, watch closely so the buttery cornflake coating doesn't burn).
  • Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar, syrup, fresh fruit, or however you like to eat your French toast!

Notes

Bread: the bread you use is very adaptable. I like to use thick-sliced bread. Texas toast or another thick-sliced bread would be a good storeought option. In the pictures, I made this white sandwich bread and cut it into about 1-inch thick slices. This homemade French bread would be a great option as well.
Cornflakes: don't crush the cornflakes to super fine crumbs or they can get soggy.
Amounts: depending on how thick your bread slices are, how long you let the bread soak in the egg mixture, and/or how much topping you pile on, you may have extra egg mixture or cornflake topping OR you may run out a little early. Don't stress. If you run out, whisk another egg and a little milk together and crush a few more cornflakes. If you have extra, cut a few more slices of bread!