You know that saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” Well, I’m going to go ahead and tweak it a little bit: When life gives you tiny challah loaves, make Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole. It’s catchy, right? And totally appropriate because that's exactly what happened to me. The tiny challahs are here, and guess what? They’ve become the star of the most glorious breakfast casserole you’ll ever meet.

Now, before we get into the delicious details of this Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole, let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? Remember when I got wildly enthusiastic about baking challah? Like, a lot of challah. I had a whole moment there, and my kitchen smelled like a bakery that was obsessed with eggy, fluffy, doughy bread. I made more challah loaves than I could reasonably consume in a week (spoiler alert: I did not stop at just one). There were full-on batches of this stuff—so much bread, I didn’t know what to do with it all.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Who has that many challahs? Well, apparently, I do. Because the loaves fell short of the perfect loaf and I had to do something with them…am I right? And guess what? I promised you a French Toast Casserole made with the little challahs. And I always keep my promises. (Okay, fine, not always. But I do my best. Especially when it's something this tasty.)

So, here it is, the Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole that was made with my lovely, slightly-too-small-for-sandwiches-but-perfect-for-casseroles itty bitty challahs. And let me tell you, this casserole will change your life. Or at least it’ll make your morning a whole lot better. Let’s dive in.

Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole: The Ultimate Use of Leftover Challah (or Tiny Challahs, to be more specific)

Inspired by Half Baked Harvest Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast Casserole.  Here’s what you’re going to need:

Ingredients:

• 2 small challah loaves (we’re not feeding an army here…if you haven’t baked challah like a crazy person, you can actually go to the store and buy some)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cups whole milk (full-fat, because we're living large today)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (see above re: living large)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (trust me on this one, use the good stuff)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup butter (melted, because butter makes everything better)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (yes, this is also part of the filling—your taste buds will thank you)
• 4 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature, so it's easy to spread and dreamy when baked)
• 2 tbsp cup powdered sugar (for some extra sweetness inside that creamy filling)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (because it’s still part of the filling, and why not make it extra vanilla-y?)
• A pinch of cinnamon (because, well, we're doing cinnamon everywhere)

Topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat and Prep

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Get yourself a 8x8 baking dish. If you’re like me and you have 17 different sizes of baking dishes that all look the same but somehow aren’t, pick the one that will comfortably hold all of the casserole. Butter the dish generously. You don’t want any sticky situations. It’s important.

Step 2: Cut the Challah

If you’re using those tiny little challah loaves, I think they’re prettiest cut into slices and they look different than your average french toast casserole—about 1-inch size. Don’t worry about it being perfect. It’s the end result that counts, and that perfect slice of French toast casserole will not judge you if your bread is slightly uneven. I promise.

Step 3: Make the French Toast Batter

In a large bowl, crack those eggs and whisk them together with the milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk it well so everything is blended beautifully. It should smell delicious. (Side note: If it doesn’t smell delicious at this point, you may want to rethink some of your ingredients. Just saying.)

Step 4: Build the Casserole Layers

Now, take your cut challah and arrange it in your dish and leave a little space to add your cream cheese. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, cut a little gap in each piece and stuff it with cream cheese yumminess. Once you’ve got a nice base of bread, you’re going to make the cream cheese filling. Mix the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. It’s like dessert filling, but it’s going in your breakfast casserole—because why not?

Take spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture and dollop it between your slices of challah. Then, gently spread it out so that each bread chunk gets a little taste of heaven. Once that’s done, pour the egg mixture evenly over everything. Don’t skimp. Make sure every piece of bread is soaked. You can put this in the fridge overnight if you’ve planned ahead and let it take a delicious eggy bath. If not, still let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Step 5: Add the Crunchy Topping

Here’s the fun part! Mix all your dry ingredients for the topping together and then rub the butter in with your fingers for a struesselly bowl of cinnamon goodness. Sprinkle it all over your casserole when you’ve taken it out of the fridge.

Step 6: Bake It (and Try Not to Sneak a Bite)

Pop the casserole in the oven and bake for 30 minutes covered in foil, then uncover for 10 to 15 minutes ( total 40-45 minutes), or until it’s golden brown and the center is set. You should be able to stick a knife in the center and have it come out clean. If it comes out messy, give it a little more time. But don’t walk away for too long—you will want to hover over it, inhaling that irresistible smell. Trust me, it’s going to be hard not to sneak bites.

Step 7: Serve and Enjoy

Once the casserole is done, take it out and let it cool for a few minutes (unless you’re really impatient, in which case, dive in!). If you’ve got any cream cheese left, dollop it on top. Serve it warm with a dusting of powdered sugar, fresh berries, or a drizzle of syrup—because you deserve all the decadence.

Why this recipe works:

This Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole is the perfect balance of everything you love about French toast and everything you love about casseroles. The cream cheese filling is rich and tangy, while the cinnamon and brown sugar take it to that sweet, comforting place. The granola topping is the perfect textural contrast, giving you that crunch that every good breakfast casserole deserves. And if you happen to have some itty bitty challahs lying around (or, you know, just happen to bake 13 of them for no reason), this recipe is the ultimate way to show them off.

So, next time life gives you tiny challah loaves, don’t stress. Make Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole, and you can thank me later.