Nutella French Toast with Maple Syrup, Bananas & Strawberries

This creation was a total one-day-I-got-a-wild-hair experiment that sooooo worked!!  I had seen some postings out in blogland about peanut butter and jelly french toast and about chocolate french toast.  As usually happens with me, I started to wonder ... I'm always wondering ...

My wonder was (which you've probably already guessed), if you can make french toast with things like chocolate or peanut butter and jelly, I wondered if it would work with Nutella?  Well, it did!  Oh, it more than worked - it's delicious.

I love "wonderings."  In my 1st grade classroom I call them "I wonders."  I love to hear my little 1st graders wonder.  When we do our first science experiment of the year, I just start wondering aloud about things we could test and try.  They quickly catch on, start wondering themselves, and I start testing out their "I wonders."  It's so fun. 

Our first science experiment of the year is always dealing with force - the students are learning about pushing and pulling as the two types of force.  We take various objects and see if the force from a common, personal fan is strong enough to push them.  Who would think such a simple activity would be so much fun for the students?  But they love it!  One of the objects I always use is a balloon.  I take it straight out of the package, deflated, and see if the fan can move it.  No deal.  It never takes long for one of the students to say, "I wonder what would happen if you blew up the balloon?"  Ahhh, music to my teacher ears.  They're thinking.  They're wondering.  I love it.

And so it went with this Nutella French Toast.

I started out dipping some French bread slices in an egg-and-milk mixture, just like you would for traditional French toast.  Then on to testing out my first "I wonder" ... I slathered Nutella on each piece and stuck the pieces together in a stack ... tasted it ... and it was fabulous!

"I wonder" #1 - French Toast slathered with Nutella

Then the experiment continued with another "I wonder" --- I wondered if Nutella and maple syrup are good together?  I'm a Vermont girl, so French Toast without maple syrup just seems wrong.  I had to give it a go.  So, on went the maple syrup ...

"I wonder" #2 - Nutella French Toast with maple syrup

... and Oh.  My.  Word.  Nutella and maple syrup are indeed very good together.  Like truly indescribably good. 

And then the experiment continued with another "I wonder" --- I wondered how it would be with banana and strawberry slices?  On went some bananas and strawberries ...

"I wonder" #3 - adding sliced bananas and strawberries

... and it's even better!!  Of course, when I ate it, my plate was certainly not as neat looking as the plate in this picture.  I cut up the French Toast, bananas, and strawberries and made sure everything was all swirled in with the maple syrup.  Yum.

And that's how this treat came to be.  A Nutella-y, maple syrup-y, banana, and strawberry swirled-up concoction that is oh-so-yummy for my tummy!  This will become a staple in my breakfast-for-dinner line-up.  I foresee frequent appearances.  Very frequent appearances.

Ooey-gooey Nutella

Nutella French Toast with Maple Syrup, Bananas, & Strawberries
Source:  Tracey original (I'm sure someone out there has already come up with this!  But I didn't refer to any recipes when I tried this out.)

Note:  Recipe yields 4 slices (2 servings).  Adjust quantities as desired.

Ingredients
4 (1/2"-thick) slices French bread
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. milk
1 T. butter, to coat pan
Nutella (about 1/4 c.)
Maple syrup (preferably pure Vermont maple syrup!)
1 banana, sliced
4 strawberries, sliced


Directions
1.  Combine beaten eggs and milk in a wide shallow dish.  Dip a bread slice in the egg mixture; turn and dip the other side, coating well.  Repeat with remaining bread slices.

2.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add butter to the pan, and coat the skillet surface with the melted butter.  Place coated bread slices in the pan and cook each side until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.

3.  Remove bread slices from the pan and place on a plate.  Spread two of the slices generously with Nutella; place the remaining two slices on top to form sandwiches.  Top with maple syrup, sliced bananas, and sliced strawberries.

Enjoy!

(NOTE:  I have also made this with regular sliced bread.  It's good that way, too.)

This post is linked with Recipe Sharing Monday hosted by Jam Hands, The Cure for the Common Monday hosted by Lines Across My Face, Savvy Homemade Monday hosted by Savvy Homemade A to Z, Tasty Tuesday hosted by For the Love of Blogs, Crazy Sweet Tuesday hosted by Crazy for Crust, Tea Party Tuesday hosted by Sweetology, Tuesday Talent Show hosted by Chef in Training, These Chicks Cooked hosted by This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain, It's a Keeper Thursday hosted by It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum, Sweets for a Saturday hosted by Sweet as Sugar Cookies,  Sweet Indulgences Sunday hosted by A Well-Seasoned Life, Mangia Mondays hosted by Shine Your Light, Must Try Monday hosted by My Favorite Finds, Sweets This Week hosted by Sugar Bananas!, This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking, Countdown to 2012 - Best Breakfast Recipes hosted by Finding Joy in My Kitchen, This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.

This creation was a total one-day-I-got-a-wild-hair experiment that sooooo worked!!  I had seen some postings out in blogland about peanut butter and jelly french toast and about chocolate french toast.  As usually happens with me, I started to wonder ... I'm always wondering ...

My wonder was (which you've probably already guessed), if you can make french toast with things like chocolate or peanut butter and jelly, I wondered if it would work with Nutella?  Well, it did!  Oh, it more than worked - it's delicious.

I love "wonderings."  In my 1st grade classroom I call them "I wonders."  I love to hear my little 1st graders wonder.  When we do our first science experiment of the year, I just start wondering aloud about things we could test and try.  They quickly catch on, start wondering themselves, and I start testing out their "I wonders."  It's so fun. 

Our first science experiment of the year is always dealing with force - the students are learning about pushing and pulling as the two types of force.  We take various objects and see if the force from a common, personal fan is strong enough to push them.  Who would think such a simple activity would be so much fun for the students?  But they love it!  One of the objects I always use is a balloon.  I take it straight out of the package, deflated, and see if the fan can move it.  No deal.  It never takes long for one of the students to say, "I wonder what would happen if you blew up the balloon?"  Ahhh, music to my teacher ears.  They're thinking.  They're wondering.  I love it.

And so it went with this Nutella French Toast.

I started out dipping some French bread slices in an egg-and-milk mixture, just like you would for traditional French toast.  Then on to testing out my first "I wonder" ... I slathered Nutella on each piece and stuck the pieces together in a stack ... tasted it ... and it was fabulous!

"I wonder" #1 - French Toast slathered with Nutella

Then the experiment continued with another "I wonder" --- I wondered if Nutella and maple syrup are good together?  I'm a Vermont girl, so French Toast without maple syrup just seems wrong.  I had to give it a go.  So, on went the maple syrup ...

"I wonder" #2 - Nutella French Toast with maple syrup

... and Oh.  My.  Word.  Nutella and maple syrup are indeed very good together.  Like truly indescribably good. 

And then the experiment continued with another "I wonder" --- I wondered how it would be with banana and strawberry slices?  On went some bananas and strawberries ...

"I wonder" #3 - adding sliced bananas and strawberries

... and it's even better!!  Of course, when I ate it, my plate was certainly not as neat looking as the plate in this picture.  I cut up the French Toast, bananas, and strawberries and made sure everything was all swirled in with the maple syrup.  Yum.

And that's how this treat came to be.  A Nutella-y, maple syrup-y, banana, and strawberry swirled-up concoction that is oh-so-yummy for my tummy!  This will become a staple in my breakfast-for-dinner line-up.  I foresee frequent appearances.  Very frequent appearances.

Ooey-gooey Nutella

Nutella French Toast with Maple Syrup, Bananas, & Strawberries
Source:  Tracey original (I'm sure someone out there has already come up with this!  But I didn't refer to any recipes when I tried this out.)

Note:  Recipe yields 4 slices (2 servings).  Adjust quantities as desired.

Ingredients
4 (1/2"-thick) slices French bread
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. milk
1 T. butter, to coat pan
Nutella (about 1/4 c.)
Maple syrup (preferably pure Vermont maple syrup!)
1 banana, sliced
4 strawberries, sliced


Directions
1.  Combine beaten eggs and milk in a wide shallow dish.  Dip a bread slice in the egg mixture; turn and dip the other side, coating well.  Repeat with remaining bread slices.

2.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add butter to the pan, and coat the skillet surface with the melted butter.  Place coated bread slices in the pan and cook each side until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.

3.  Remove bread slices from the pan and place on a plate.  Spread two of the slices generously with Nutella; place the remaining two slices on top to form sandwiches.  Top with maple syrup, sliced bananas, and sliced strawberries.

Enjoy!

(NOTE:  I have also made this with regular sliced bread.  It's good that way, too.)

This post is linked with Recipe Sharing Monday hosted by Jam Hands, The Cure for the Common Monday hosted by Lines Across My Face, Savvy Homemade Monday hosted by Savvy Homemade A to Z, Tasty Tuesday hosted by For the Love of Blogs, Crazy Sweet Tuesday hosted by Crazy for Crust, Tea Party Tuesday hosted by Sweetology, Tuesday Talent Show hosted by Chef in Training, These Chicks Cooked hosted by This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain, It's a Keeper Thursday hosted by It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum, Sweets for a Saturday hosted by Sweet as Sugar Cookies,  Sweet Indulgences Sunday hosted by A Well-Seasoned Life, Mangia Mondays hosted by Shine Your Light, Must Try Monday hosted by My Favorite Finds, Sweets This Week hosted by Sugar Bananas!, This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking, Countdown to 2012 - Best Breakfast Recipes hosted by Finding Joy in My Kitchen, This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.