Apple & Peanut Butter French Toast

One of my favorite snacks is apples dipped in peanut butter. Growing up, I didn’t eat peanut butter very often, and to this day I don’t like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but, there’s just something about apples with peanut butter that gets me every time.

One night, while I was eating peanut butter toast, I decided to slice an apple really thin then drizzle it with honey and a dash of cinnamon. Let’s call it a dessert sandwich. It was glorious! Then the thought came to me, what if instead of toasted bread, it was french toast. My initial thought of making it was just a heavy drizzle of peanut butter on top, but the morning of recipe testing, another thought occurred to me and it said, “What about peanut butter whipped cream?”. GENIUS! So, at 9:00 am on a Sunday morning, there I was in neighborhood Walmart grabbing a loaf of brioche bread to bring this fantasy into reality.

I knew it would be good. I mean, French toast is already great on its own, but then add these extra flavor layers…NEXT LEVEL. When you have the peanut butter whipped cream by itself, it very peanut butter forward. It kind of reminds me of the peanut butter inside a Reese’s. It’s sooooo good, I had to stop myself from eating the whole bowl then and there.

Now, I will say that while the whipped cream is peanut forward on its own, once it’s with everything else it plays a subtle background note to the dish. It brings such a delicate peanut butter flavor and balances the cinnamon, vanilla notes of the apples with the perfect amount of sweetness to compliment the French toast without the need for syrup. Some may disagree and still add the syrup and that is your prerogative, but for me it was good without. Also, if you’re still fending for a more powerful peanut punch, drizzle warmed peanut butter as a finisher. That’s more my speed than the added syrup.

You’ll also notice in this recipe that I used jazz apple instead of a traditional varietal like Granny Smith. Jazz apples are my absolute favorite. To me, they have just the right amount of tartness to sweetness and are always crisp. Sometimes Granny Smith apples fall short of this balance and I’m left with all tart and no sweet. Also, I’m not a huge fan of the sometimes tough, thick skin of green apples. With jazz apples, the skin provides a true apple taste without giving too much bite in the skin. That’s why I knew it would be the perfect apple for this recipe. You don’t have to worry about peeling the skin beforehand either because once the apple is cooked, it doesn’t leave an unpleasant mouth feel but provides a well rounded texture to the dish. If you choose to use a Granny Smith apple, I suggest peeling it first. But, if you’re smart, you’ll use a jazz apple. I know I just spent a lot of time explaining my preference for apples, but you need to understand that this is important to me. This dish is all about highlighting the apples and peanut butter, so you need context as to why not just any apple can be used.

I think I’ve said more than enough now, let’s get on with the recipe.

Total Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Yields: 5 French Toast

Ingredients:

For the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla paste*
2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the Apples
1 jazz apple (diced)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla paste*
1 tbsp granulated sugar

For the French Toast
5 slices of brioche bread
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
up to 4 tbsp salted butter

*can be subbed for vanilla extract

Tools:

whisk
hand mixer
large mixing bowl
shallow bowl
spatula
small saucepan
nonstick skillet

Instructions:

For the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the heavy whipping cream, peanut butter, vanilla paste and sugar. Whisk with the hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until stiff peaks form. Set aside to chill in the fridge while the apples and french toast are made.

   Note: Make sure to use cold heavy cream to ensure the whipped cream forms properly.

For the Apples

1. Combine the diced apples, cinnamon, vanilla paste, and sugar in a small sauce pan. On low heat slowly cook the apples, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender but not mushy; about 10 minutes. Set aside.

   Note: You want the apples to still be able to hold their shape but cooked through enough to have a very slight crisp bite left.

For the French Toast

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, heavy cream, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until combined. Coat each slice of brioche bread in the custard like mixture being cautious not to oversaturate. You only need a thin layer on each side of the bread.

   Note: It’s best to coat the bread only once it’s time to cook it and immediately place it in the hot skillet so that the bread doesn’t end up too soggy.

2. Place and spread 1 tablespoon of butter in the nonstick skillet on medium high heat. When the pan is ready, place 1 to 2 slices in the pan and cook for up to 3 minutes per side until the center of the bread is set and edges are crispy.

3. Once the french toast is done, top with the peanut butter whipped cream and the apples, serve and enjoy!