Delicious Christmas Recipes for Morning

(image via Anthropologie)

There’s nothing quite like Christmas morning; everything feels magical and the air is filled with excitement. This year, make Christmas morning even better with delicious, yummy treats (and imagine the aromatic smells wafting through the house)! Your family and friends will thank you for this special Christmas surprise. Check out our top 3 favorite Christmas Recipes to make this year on Christmas morning!

1) Orange Pecan French Toast

Christmas morning is your day to say goodbye to calorie counting and hello to all things breaded, glazed, and carb-filled. Let yourself enjoy today! We will get back to New Year’s Resolutions and watchful eating soon enough. The first recipe we suggest you try comes from All Recipes, and it’s one of the sites most popular dishes with over 245 suggested users raving about it. Orange Pecan French Toast is as tasty in real life as it sounds while reading about it. It’s that good! Close your eyes and imagine this: crispy buttery crusts mixed with warm pecan-filling, drizzled with a subtle-yet-resonant orange flavoring. #nomnomnom

Psst… don’t let the long ingredient list scare you. The effort to make these is worth the orange pecan french toast at the end! (image via I Sing In the Kitchen)

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• ⅓ cup chopped pecans
• 12 slices of french bread
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup 2% milk
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions

Combine brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture and carefully place bread slices on top of the pecans.

Combine orange zest, orange juice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Whisk until thoroughly mixed. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Let dish sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

2) Smoky Sausage and Grits Casserole

My mouth is watering just typing the name of this next recipe. HAPARI’s second recipe for Christmas morning breakfast is the Smoky Sausage and Grits Casserole. Hailing from the South, this delectable dish features sausage, grits, and lots o’cheese! The best part about it? It’s easy to make, serves up to 12 people, and is a guaranteed hit. In fact, the recipe from Southern Living has been shared over 700 times. Check out the ingredients and directions below. (image via Betty Crocker)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds smoked sausage, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits
• 2 (8-oz.) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Vegetable cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° fahrenheit. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 7 to 9 minutes or until cooked; drain on paper towels. Bring salt and 4 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Whisk in grits, and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, whisking occasionally.

Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until completely melted. Stir in milk and next 4 ingredients. Stir in sausage. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

3) Eggnog Breakfast Bread Pudding

Well, we tried to warn you. All three of these recipes are so good it will be hard to pick just one to serve on Christmas morning. In fact, this last recipe is a Christmas favorite for many families because it involves the season’s most loved drink, eggnog. This recipe comes from The Kitchn and was adapted from Marion Cunningham’s classic cookbook The Breakfast Book. Details and instructions below, check it out! (Image via The Kitchn)

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounces) loaf French bread, sliced
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups eggnog
• 2 cups whole or 2% milk
• 5 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
• powdered sugar

Directions

Start by generously buttering the bread slices. Next, cut them into cubes and place in a 2 quart baking dish. Heat the eggnog and milk until they start to bubble. Whisk eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Once frothy, stir in the milk and eggnog mixture. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Be sure to thoroughly soak each bread cube in the mixture. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Place casserole dish in a larger roasting pan. Fill around the casserole dish with water (this helps keep the bread moist as it cooks). Bake for 40-50 minutes. When the bread is golden brown, carefully take the roasting pan out of the over and the casserole dish out of the roasting pan. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar over servings.

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