Every Year I host a Christmas Family Brunch at our house. It's traditionally been my way to be able to see everyone in the family at least for a little while on Christmas day. After that we tend to get scattered in every direction visiting various other pieces of the family but I look forward to Christmas morning brunch every year.
Usually I will make homemade eggs Benedict, Cinnamon french toast, fruits, muffins, hash browns, bacon and sausage and usually some kind of breakfast casserole too! But I do like to add something new into the mix each year to spice things up too. There are so many awesome overnight breakfast casseroles and baked french toast recipes out there in Pinterest land so I thought I would put some of the yummy and easy looking ones that I have found together in a blog post for inspiration!
Do you have a big Christmas Breakfast or do you keep it low key?
Crackleberry Muffins
This is my go to yummy and simple muffin recipe! It was adapted from my Aunty Jane's muffin recipe she used to make for the family at gatherings we had when I was a kid. I remember all her recipes fondly but this one especially. Muffins are an easy breakfast item to have prepared ahead of time that you can enjoy on Christmas morning along with a hot cup of coffee while you watch the kids unwrap their gifts.
Spinach and Gruyere Cheese Quiche with a Hash Brown Crust
Now this is a
Quiche I can get behind!! Wow the hashbrown crust looks amazing and the ingredients are all "Real" too! This one is on my list for this Christmas morning for sure!
Overnight
Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast
One of the great things about this french toast casserole is that because it’s
so easy to prepare, you can totally enjoy time with your family rather than
spend a bunch of time making breakfast. Particularly at the holidays, with so
much going on and so much food being prepared, it allows you to get some prep
work done ahead so you can spend the morning with your family. That’s how I
like it. This recipe is from Lifeloveandsugar but I've added a few
modifications to make it a bit healthier like swapping sugar for honey and
brown sugar for coconut palm sugar.
Ingredients:
Casserole
1 lb loaf Sourdough Or French Bread,
cut into chunks (Whole wheat to
make this a bit cleaner)
3 cups (326g) chopped apples (2 large apples)
8 large eggs
2 cups (480ml) milk (whole or 2%)
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (104g) sugar (I would
probably switch to honey)
1/4 cup (36g) light brown sugar, unpacked (I would probably use coconut palm sugar)
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Streusel
Topping
3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (169g) firmly packed brown sugar (I would probably use coconut palm sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 cup (112g) salted butter, cut into pieces
Directions:
1. Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
2. Combine the bread chunks and chopped apples and lay in an even layer in the
bottom of the dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, minus the
streusel, and pour evenly over bread. Cover the casserole and store in the
fridge overnight.
4. When ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
5. Bake the casserole for about 35-40 minutes.
6. While casserole bakes, in another bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the
streusel. Add the butter and mash into the dry mixture until it forms a crumbly
mixture.
7. Remove the casserole from the oven and crumble the streusel over the top of
the casserole.
8. Continue baking casserole for about 5 minutes, or until the streusel is
melted over the top.
9. Serve the casserole warm with syrup.
Greek Yogurt Berry Parfaits
I’m sure you’ve realized that I love Greek yogurt. Like love-love Greek yogurt. It’s seriously the best thing ever, especially since it’s such a good fit to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Plus, it’s loaded with protein!! So what better way to fuel you for a busy day of tearing open wrapping paper and baking a turkey then a healthy greek yogurt parfait!?
Just layer greek yogurt with granola and berries, dried fruit, nuts and seeds or whatever else you like!
Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
If you prefer a hearty breakfast casserole then you might like this easy one! You can buy fresh sausage meat at the butcher and you can even shred your own hash browns, but there are also some pretty good brands out there now making shredded hash browns without any added ingredients! This Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is perfect for Christmas morning. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to pop it in the Oven. Pop this casserole in the oven when you get up and it will be ready after all the presents are open.
Pancake Sliders
No recipe here, just a great image that I found online and an even better idea! If the kids want pancakes you can dress yours up and turn them into a hearty Breakfast Slider Sandwich! Just add bacon, egg, cheese and whatever else you fancy in between two big pancakes and bang you've got a breakfast to take you through the busy Christmas morning!
Easy Fruit Trifle
Ingredients
TOPPING
- 1 (3.25 oz) package instant banana cream pudding, dry
Instructions
- Layer fruit in a large bowl or trifle bowl.
- For the topping, whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Spread over the top of trifle.
- Arrange any extra fruit on top for a pretty presentation.
Recipe by Chef in training
Banana Eggnog Pancakes
Oh my these look lovely and my boys love eggnog so we might have to try these as a breakfast for dinner night or one of the Mornings during Christmas vacation when I feel so inclined to make pancakes!
Get the Recipe Here!
Easy Spiced Hot Fruit Bake
How amazing does this look!!! This easy Spiced Hot Fruit Bake would be a delicious and healthy holiday breakfast bake! This gluten free spiced hot fruit bake also makes for a great topping for waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, or simply by itself! A nutritious dish to add to your Christmas or New Year’s Brunch! Vegan friendly if you use coconut oil instead of butter too!
Make Ahead Breakfast Enchiladas
Aside from being easy, these are versatile, which is always a bonus to me. Don’t like ham? Use turkey. Or sausage. Can’t live without bacon? Go for it! Want some spice? Add a jalapeño. Not crazy about cheddar? Try a different cheese. Customize this to your liking. (I do, however, highly recommend you not skip the sour cream and salsa – it’s like that something extra that brings it all home.)
White Chocolate Cranberry Scones
It wouldn't be Christmas morning without some fresh baked pastries right! I think these Cranberry white chocolate scones look and taste festive enough for Christmas morning don't you think?
I would swap out the white flour for whole wheat and make sure to use organic cane sugar in place of plain white refined sugar too!
Easy Breakfast Braid
Normally I wouldn't post a recipe on the blog using the Crescent rolls or sheets as those just aren't a healthy/real food product BUT you can make your own homemade Crescent Roll Dough very easily. Here is a Crescent Roll recipe you can use. This recipe looks super good and the breakfast braid looks so fancy after it is baked. Do not let the fancy look intimidate you however. This recipe is supposed to be super easy to put together!
Healthy Breakfast Banana Split
I really love this idea! You could even make a healthy banana split breakfast bar if your having guests over for christmas morning!
Fruit and Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries
Ok these little treats look amazing and would rock any Christmas Morning Brunch table! Last year I found an amazing organic whole wheat puff pastry in the frozen section at our local market so I may just have to pick some up and make these for Christmas morning this year! I am always tempted by danish in bakery window but never get it, but Christmas morning seems like the perfect day of the year to treat myself!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Breakfast Potatoes
This is the ultimate breakfast worth waking up to! Easily made right in your crockpot. Set it, forget, and devour!
