Irresistible Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups with Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce: Your Ultimate Brunch Delight

Imagine a warm, golden French toast, not as a flat slice, but as a delightful roll-up, generously stuffed with luscious apple butter. Then, picture it tossed in a sweet embrace of cinnamon sugar, ready to be dunked into a creamy, tangy apple butter cream cheese dipping sauce. This isn’t just breakfast; it’s an experience that transforms any morning, especially a lazy weekend brunch, into an exciting culinary adventure.

Let’s be honest, not everyone is a morning person. For many, the snooze button is a loyal companion, and the thought of waking up before the sun feels like a monumental task. During the hustle and bustle of the week, breakfast often defaults to something quick and convenient – a hastily grabbed bagel, a bowl of oatmeal, a piece of fruit, or perhaps even a quick cookie. There’s barely time to think, let alone savor a meal.

However, weekends offer a reprieve, a chance to reclaim those precious morning hours. Every Sunday, I make a conscious effort to prepare a truly special breakfast, or sometimes, a leisurely brunch if the morning slips away. It’s a small ritual that brings joy and a sense of calm to the start of a new week. Today, I’m thrilled to share a recipe that perfectly embodies this spirit: Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups with an accompanying Apple Butter Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce. It’s a fresh, fun, and utterly delicious way to elevate your morning meal, whether you’re an early riser or a brunch enthusiast.

The Evolution of French Toast: From Simple Slices to Exciting Roll Ups

French toast has always been a staple in my kitchen. It’s one of those wonderfully forgiving recipes that even the most inexperienced cook can master. I recall making my first batch of French toast during my study abroad days in Ireland, a simple yet satisfying meal that felt like a comfort from home. For years, it was my go-to breakfast creation, long before I ventured into the more complex realms of chocolate chip pancakes or waffles.

However, as much as I love classic French toast, I sometimes find it, well, a little predictable. Pancakes and waffles offer endless possibilities for customizing the batter, adding mix-ins, and experimenting with toppings. French toast, on the other hand, often feels limited to a simple dip and pan-fry. How do you inject excitement and novelty into this breakfast classic? The answer, I discovered, lies in transformation: by stuffing, rolling, and dipping them. This approach takes inspiration from the beloved French toast sticks of childhood but elevates them with an irresistible apple butter filling.

Why These Baked French Toast Roll Ups Are Perfect for Any Gathering

One of the greatest advantages of this recipe is its suitability for feeding a crowd. Picture this: you’ve invited friends or family over for a leisurely brunch. Traditionally, making French toast means cooking slices one by one in a skillet. By the time you’ve finished the last batch, the first ones are already cooling down, or worse, completely cold. If you serve them as you make them, your guests end up eating in shifts, which can disrupt the communal joy of a shared meal.

These Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups solve that dilemma beautifully. By baking them all together on a single sheet pan, every roll-up finishes cooking at precisely the same time. This means you can pull a tray of perfectly golden, warm, and delicious French toast roll ups from the oven, ready to be enjoyed by everyone simultaneously. This method allows you to truly relax and savor the moments with your loved ones, making brunch a truly cohesive and enjoyable experience for all.

Beyond just serving a crowd, these roll ups offer several other benefits. Their compact size makes them perfectly portable and ideal for little hands. They’re also incredibly fun to dip, turning breakfast into an interactive and engaging meal. The baking process ensures a slightly crisp exterior while maintaining a soft, custardy interior, a delightful contrast to traditional pan-fried French toast.

Short on time? Consider making my overnight French Toast Casserole For Two the night before. Simply prepare it ahead of time, then pop it in the oven the next morning for a delicious, stress-free breakfast.

The Allure of Apple Butter: A Key Ingredient

At the heart of this recipe is, of course, apple butter. This rich, concentrated fruit spread is a fall favorite, but its comforting flavor is welcome any time of year. It’s essentially apples cooked down to a thick, smooth, intensely flavorful paste, often spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Unlike apple sauce, apple butter boasts a deeper, caramelized taste and a denser texture, making it an ideal filling for these roll ups.

You have two excellent options for sourcing your apple butter: you can either pick up a jar from your local grocery store, or for an even more rewarding experience, try making your own crockpot apple butter. Homemade apple butter offers unparalleled freshness and allows you to customize the spices to your liking. Either way, its sweet, spiced depth is what truly elevates these French toast roll ups from good to unforgettable.

Mastering Your Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups: Tips for Success

Choosing the Right Bread

While the recipe specifies white sandwich bread, the key is to choose a bread that is soft, yet sturdy enough to flatten without tearing. A standard white sandwich loaf works wonderfully because it has a consistent texture and isn’t too thick or too thin. Slightly stale bread can actually be an advantage for French toast, as it absorbs the egg mixture better without becoming overly soggy. For roll-ups, however, fresh bread is often easier to flatten without cracking.

The Perfect Egg Batter

The egg mixture is the heart of any French toast. For these roll ups, we combine eggs, milk, a touch of cinnamon, and nutmeg. The nutmeg adds a warm, subtly spicy note that complements the apple butter beautifully. Whisk these ingredients until well combined, ensuring there are no streaks of egg white. When dipping the roll ups, ensure they are fully coated but not oversaturated; a quick dip on all sides is usually sufficient. Shake off any excess batter to prevent a soggy crust.

Flattening and Filling

Flattening the bread is a crucial step for achieving perfect roll ups. Use a rolling pin to flatten each slice to about half its original thickness. Be gentle but firm to ensure an even thickness without tearing the bread. Once flattened, spread a generous tablespoon of apple butter evenly over the surface, leaving a small border to help seal the roll. Roll the bread up tightly, starting from one end, and place it seam-side down on your baking sheet to prevent it from unraveling.

Baking for Perfection

Baking these roll ups is what makes them so convenient for a crowd. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line your baking sheet with a silicone mat or grease it exceptionally well. This is vital to prevent sticking, as the sweet coating can easily adhere to the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully pull the sheet out, brush the tops with melted butter, flip each roll-up, and brush the bottoms. This two-sided brushing and baking ensures an even golden-brown crust and a delicious buttery flavor throughout.

The Irresistible Cinnamon Sugar Finish

The final touch is a generous roll in cinnamon sugar. This sweet, spiced coating adds a delightful texture and an extra layer of flavor. It’s important to roll the French toast in the cinnamon sugar mixture as soon as they come out of the oven. The warmth of the roll ups helps the sugar adhere, creating a beautiful, sparkling exterior that crunches slightly with every bite.

The Ultimate Companion: Apple Butter Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce

While the French toast roll ups are fantastic on their own, the apple butter cream cheese dipping sauce elevates them to an entirely new level. This creamy, tangy, and subtly sweet sauce perfectly balances the richness of the French toast. Softened cream cheese is beaten with additional apple butter, powdered sugar, and a splash of milk to create a smooth, luscious dip. The hint of tartness from the cream cheese cuts through the sweetness of the roll ups, creating a harmonious flavor profile that is utterly addictive. It’s the perfect finishing touch that makes these roll ups truly special.

Make Ahead and Storage Options

Want to get a head start on your brunch prep? You can prepare the apple butter roll ups (flatten, spread, and roll) the night before. Store them tightly covered in the refrigerator. In the morning, simply dip them in the egg mixture and proceed with baking.

Leftovers? (Though we doubt you’ll have any!) Baked French toast roll ups can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them gently in the oven or microwave. For longer storage, you can freeze cooled, baked roll ups in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 1-2 months. Reheat from frozen in a preheated oven until warmed through.

Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups with Apple Butter Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce

Yield:
16 roll ups

Warm French toast roll ups stuffed with apple butter then tossed in cinnamon sugar make brunch much more exciting, especially when you dunk them into apple butter cream cheese dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 16 slices white sandwich bread
• 1 cup apple butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Dipping Sauce

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or grease really, really well (the roll ups will stick if you aren’t prepared).
2. Flatten one slice of bread to about half of its original thickness. Spread roughly 1 tablespoon apple butter evenly on top. Roll up bread and set aside, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining bread.
3. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dip each roll up into the egg mixture, completely covering and shaking off the excess. Place on the baking sheet.
4. Bake 10 minutes. Pull out of the oven, brush the top side with melted butter, flip each roll then brush the bottoms with butter. If they stick, gently use a spatula to loosen them. Leave bottom side up and bake another 10 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, add the sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. As soon as the roll ups have finished baking, roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

For the dipping sauce

1. While the roll ups are baking, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and apple butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar then beat in the milk.

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Explore More Apple Butter Delights

If you’ve fallen in love with these Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups, you’ll be thrilled to discover the incredible versatility of apple butter in other sweet treats. Its rich, spiced flavor can transform a variety of desserts, from creamy cheesecakes to delightful cookie bars.

Here are a few more apple butter recipes from my collection that you might enjoy:

• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars with Apple Butter Frosting: A comforting twist on a classic cookie, elevated with a luscious apple butter frosting.
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip: A crowd-pleasing dip perfect for parties, blending the flavors of caramel, apple, and creamy cheesecake.
• No Bake Apple Butter Cheesecake: A decadent, easy-to-make cheesecake featuring the delightful taste of apple butter.

For even more innovative ways to incorporate this delicious ingredient into your cooking and baking, be sure to check out my comprehensive guide on what to do with apple butter. It’s packed with ideas to inspire your culinary creativity!

Final Thoughts

These Apple Butter French Toast Roll Ups aren’t just a recipe; they’re an invitation to slow down, savor, and share. They transform a simple breakfast staple into a gourmet experience that’s both fun to make and delightful to eat. So, gather your ingredients, clear your schedule for a leisurely morning, and treat yourself and your loved ones to this extraordinary brunch creation. Your taste buds will thank you!