Baked Banana Macadamia French Toast with cream cheese filling and pure maple syrup is prepared the day before, soaked over night, and served in the morning.
Grease six (6 ounce) ramekins with butter. Place in baking dish (I used two round cake pans).
Place half the bread in the ramekins.
Top the bread with banana, macadamia nuts, and cream cheese, dividing evenly between each dish.
Cover with remaining bread.
In separate bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, vanilla and maple syrup until well combined. Slowly pour over each ramekin, dividing the liquid mixture evenly between each dish. You might have a small amount of liquid left over, but try to get as much as possible into the ramekins.
Cover baking dish(es) tightly with plastic wrap, weigh down with a heavy plate to smash the bread into the liquid, and refrigerate over night. Note: some of the liquid will spill out into the baking dish the ramekins are placed in.
The morning of:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
If any of the liquid mixture spilled over, remove the ramekins from the baking dish and carefully pour anything that spilled back into the ramekins. Return ramekins to baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
To serve, top with additional maple syrup or dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
For french toast, I always recommend brioche, Challah, or a thick French bread. This recipe can be made in a single casserole dish instead of ramekins, however you may need to increase cooking time to ensure center is cooked fully through.