I have received some requests for make ahead breakfasts to serve on Christmas morning. When I was growing up I remember mom setting out a platter filled with her pumpkin bread and an assortment of Christmas cookies. We munched sugary treats while we opened our gifts.
It’s usually just me and Nick on Christmas morning. Our tradition is to make Resurrection Rolls (recipe HERE) and eat them with a mug of hot cocoa. Mmmmmm….
For those of you with a larger family or a house full of guests, an easy overnight casserole might be the ticket. Rise and Shine Breakfast Casserole is one of my favorites. I made this last Saturday night and baked it Sunday morning to bring nice and hot to our choir. Everyone followed the smell of something cinnamony drifting down the hallway. I don’t remember much after that. It’s a haze. I just know the baking dish was empty and I didn’t get a single bite.
Lesson to be learned… take your bite FIRST!
Enjoy!
Rise and Shine Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
- a 16-oz loaf of cinnamon swirl or brown sugar cinnamon bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- a 12-oz package of maple sausage, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half-n-half
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Arrange bread cubes in bottom of baking dish. Evenly distribute the cooked sausage pieces over the top of the bread.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, half-n-half, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Pour over bread and sausage in the baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare topping by mixing butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. When combined, add the pecans. Remove covering from bread/egg mixture. Use your fingers to drop clumps of topping all over the top.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes.
Serve with a drizzle of pure maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar… not because you need it… but just because it looks pretty 
Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Our Christmas breakfast tradition is Pillsbury Orange Rolls. Quick, easy and delicious.
I make this same dish and it is so delicious. The mixing of flavors makes it yummy and it is sweet. I highly recommend you try it if you are debating if you should or not. I even cook the sausage a day or two before so it is even less work the night I make it.
I forwarded this to my daughter away at school in Chicago to see if she thought we should make this for Christmas…it was a resounding YES. She said I had her at maple syrup and sausauge! We may have to walk to church to burn off the calories!
I just found this on your website a few weeks back and made it for the first time this morning for our college students at church. All I have to say is thank you for posting this, the students and their minister loved it!