Apple Cinnamon Doughnut French Toast Bake

I’m sure I’ve mentioned here a hundred times that I’m just not a food waster.  Something about letting anything go to waste in our home just absolutely bothers me to no end.  Call it one of my little pet peeves, but I’m constantly looking for ways to use up unwanted food around here.  

When we had half a dozen old doughnuts that were going to be thrown away a few weeks ago, I got the perfect idea!  We use old bread for breakfast treats like French toast; why not use old doughnuts in a similar way?  So I experimented a little bit one afternoon and found the perfect solution.  This treat would be great for a dessert or even a decadent breakfast.

 

Apple Cinnamon Doughnut French Toast Bake

Ingredients

6-7 stale dougnuts
1 can apple pie filling
4 large eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/4 cup pecans (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

Directions

Tear doughnuts into 1-2″ pieces and place in a greased casserole dish.  Using a spoon, gently mix apple pie filling in with the doughnuts.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and 1 tsp of the cinnamon.  Pour mixture over the doughnut/apple mixture, making sure to soak the doughnuts as much as possible.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then gently stir (to get doughnuts that might have been at the top into the egg mixture).

Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and pecans.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes, until top of exposed doughnuts starts to brown.

Mix together powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl.  Drizzle mixture over baked casserole.