Chocolate Orange Baked French Toast

Chocolate and Orange. Orange and chocolate.

Some people LOVE this combination.

I have never been one of those people... until now.

I had it in my mind that I would make a baked french toast for breakfast this morning, but it wasn't until I started throwing it all together (because that's how I cook... nothing it truly measured out...) that the chocolate-orange idea came to me.

This tasted so much like if you take those big orange flavored chocolate balls (You know, the ones wrapped in orange foil, most popular at Christmas. I think you even have to smack them on a counter top something to break them apart... I believe they're called Chocolate Oranges. Original, I know!) melt them, and pour them on French toast.

This was so easy, and it made so much, that it would be perfect for a brunch potluck. You could even bake them in a muffin tin for individual servings...

Or you could just have it as dessert the night you make it. Just top it with vanilla ice cream and call it bread pudding.

Chocolate Orange Baked French Toast

1 16 oz. Loaf of Crusty Bread
8 Eggs
2 cups Milk
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1 small Orange, zested and juiced (you'll need 1/4 cup of juice)
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Sugar + 2 tsp. Cinnamon, mixed

Preheat the oven to 375, and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, orange zest, 1/4 cup orange juice, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.

Cut the loaf of bread into 2 inch cubes.

Add the bread into the egg mixture and stir until combined, and he bread soaks up the mixture. You may need to add a splash of milk (or more orange juice even) to make sure it's well moistened.

Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into the greased baking dish.

Top evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Cover and bake for 50-60 minutes.