Give French Toast A Major Flavor Boost With Just One Ingredient

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There are several ways to prepare a French toast recipe, ranging from super simple to delightfully decadent. Bread dipped in a batter of milk and beaten eggs and fried in a pan is an excellent starting point, but even the smallest ingredient upgrade can take your French toast to flavorful new heights. For instance, the addition of cinnamon extract alongside regular powdered cinnamon will effortlessly make your French toast even bolder and more delicious.

While the game-changing ingredient swap for French toast involves upgrading your bread and vanilla extract, cinnamon extract enhances the warming spice already in your French toast batter. It's as simple as whisking in a few drops into your batter prior to dunking your bread. Cinnamon extract can be found in the baking aisle of your local grocery store, or you can purchase a bottle of Watkins Pure Cinnamon Extract online. If you prefer, you can also make your own using cinnamon sticks and a high-proof alcohol.

It's also important to understand the difference between extracts and oils, with the former a more ideal choice for combining into a French toast batter as it is slightly diluted and won't overpower your dish. This is a total boost to your French toast, opening up possibilities for using other complementary ingredients and getting creative with your serving.

Using cinnamon extract to liven up your French toast batter will fill it with plenty of warmth, spice, and sweetness — but you don't have to stop there. Consider changing up your classic French toast with a mouthwatering butter swap by topping the toast with honey butter, or try a compound honey and cinnamon butter to play off of the cinnamon extract in your French toast batter.

You can take it further by preparing a cinnamon apple compote as your French toast topping. This will provide extra nutritional value to your breakfast and add a lovely variance in texture. For something more pastry-forward, try making your own cinnamon streusel using brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, butter, and a small amount of cinnamon extract for an added punch of flavor.

You can serve your French toast with classic maple syrup, or get creative with a hot honey or store-bought fruit spread instead. Make your French toast slightly lighter with a dollop of plain or vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt on top. Any way you choose to upgrade your French toast ingredients, you'll be glad to have invested in a bottle of cinnamon extract.