There are few combinations that I love more than chocolate and hazelnut.  Let’s cut to the chase – Nutella is super delicious and I could eat it straight out of the tub, but it is super high in sugar with artificial flavors, palm oil, and emulsifiers. I actually find it too sweet now.  But I have found higher quality “Nutella” options and I can’t stop using them on everything!  This French toast casserole is just one winner that I am sharing with you!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• super delicious without giving you a blood sugar spike; 
• use whatever bread works for you, even odds and ends from different loaves;
• can easily be doubled to feed a crowd; 
• great for breakfast or dessert; 
• perfect for a prep-ahead breakfast for the holidays!

Ingredients

• Coconut oil or butter – I use unrefined coconut oil or unsalted butter to grease the baking dish. 
• Bread – use your favorite bread. I like the Food for Life Sprouted bread that comes refrigerated or frozen. You’ll need about 8 slices. 
• Eggs – the eggs help bind everything together and provide protein. I use 6 large eggs. 
• Milk – you can use any unsweetened milk of choice.  I made my own with JOI’s Hazelnut Creamer Base. Blend with water and it’s ready to consume. Use my link for 10% off any JOI products.
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread – use a higher quality chocolate-hazelnut spread than Nutella. Spread the Love makes a great one and I’ve also used one by Fine & Raw. Both are very natural and have much less added sweetener.
• Vanilla extract – use pure vanilla extract with no artificial flavors or additives for best flavor. You can also make your own. See this recipe. 
• Hazelnuts – I like to add chopped toasted and skinned hazelnuts for serving to add a nice crunch. See the notes at the bottom of the recipe for how to toast and skin raw hazelnuts. 
• Powdered sugar – completely optional, but it’s lovely with a dusting of powdered sugar right before serving. 

How to make it? 

1. The night before you plan to serve this, grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 glass baking dish with a little coconut oil or unsalted butter.
2. Place the bread cubes in the baking dish.
3. In a blender, add the eggs, milk, hazelnut spread, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour over the bread cubes, pressing on the bread to make sure it all soaks up the egg mixture.
4. Cover and refrigerate the dish overnight.
5. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
6. Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until set.
7. Serve warm with desired accompaniments.

Tips 

• Blend wet mixture in a blender for a smooth consistency. 
• Cover and refrigerate the dish overnight before baking. This helps the bread absorb all the yummy flavor. 
• Serve with a drizzle of chocolate-hazelnut spread and / or chopped hazelnuts. You can also add a dusting of powdered sugar right before serving, but I find this to be plenty sweet for me. You can serve with maple syrup if you like.

Substitutions

• Bread – if you have any leftover plain bread from the holidays, you can use it here. I’ve used hot dog and hamburger buns before. 
• Milk – any unsweetened milk of choice works well here, such as almond, cashew, oat or flax. 
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Butter – if you have a nut allergy, you can try Tahini Goddess chocolate tahini or Oat Haus chocolate granola butter.

I love how the bottom of the casserole melds together and is nice and soft, but the top gets a little crisp and browned.  Sometimes I pour a little warmed hazelnut milk over it and get it a little more mushy.  If you are really going all out, top with shaved chocolate or more chocolate-hazelnut spread and chopped hazelnuts and a dusting of powdered sugar!

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class!  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!