Recipe Background
There's such a fine line between breakfast and dessert, isn't there? Muffins, pancakes, waffles, French toast: these sweet treats bring extra delight to sunny mornings and boundless joy to brunches! The Berry Croissant Casserole adds another to the dessert-like delights ready to amaze your tastebuds first thing in the day! Buttery croissants form the base, soaked in a rich, citrus-infused custard and topped with bright, tart, and juicy berries. Then, just to add a little more magic to the treat, the Berry Croissant Casserole has a creamy lemon glaze drizzled over the top! This is an incredible dish to prepare ahead so you can serve it up warm and welcoming for everyone!
There's such a fine line between breakfast and dessert, isn't there? Muffins, pancakes, waffles, French toast: these sweet treats bring extra delight to sunny mornings and boundless joy to brunches! The Berry Croissant Casserole adds another to the dessert-like delights ready to amaze your tastebuds first thing in the day! Buttery croissants form the base, soaked in a rich, citrus-infused custard and topped with bright, tart, and juicy berries. Then, just to add a little more magic to the treat, the Berry Croissant Casserole has a creamy lemon glaze drizzled over the top! This is an incredible dish to prepare ahead so you can serve it up warm and welcoming for everyone!
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 8 large croissants sliced into 1-inch cubes, resulting in 10 packed cups
For the custard:
- 14 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups half-and-half at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the berries:
- 4 cups mixed berries of your choice
For the cream cheese lemon glaze:
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Add the croissant cubes to a large baking sheet.
- Bake until golden and very toasted, about 7-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn if left too long.
- Add the 14 ounces of cream cheese and the granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs until smooth.
- Beat in the half-and-half.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the vanilla, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the lemon zest, and the salt.
- Transfer 1/2 of the toasted croissants to the prepared baking dish.
- Evenly layer the toasted croissant pieces in the baking dish with 1/2 of the berries.
- Pour 1/2 of the custard evenly over the dish.
- Add the remaining croissants in a single layer, followed by the remaining custard. Ensure most of the croissants are submerged in the custard.
- Scatter the remaining berries over the top.
- Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the casserole from the fridge and let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
- Bake while covered with the foil for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining cream cheese, the powdered sugar, the remaining lemon juice, and the remaining vanilla to a medium mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Taste for sweetness.
- Drizzle the glaze over the casserole.
- Serve warm.
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