Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Sticks

I used to love, I mean LOVE those frozen french toast sticks.  The ones covered in a layer of cinnamon sugar, just waiting to be dunked in a puddle of syrup.  Yeah, those.  It's been years since I've eaten them them and honestly I've lost my taste for them over the years but when I came across this recipe I had a feeling a new love affair was about to start.  I couldn't wait for breakfast, so I decided to make them for after school snack.  The recipe suggests you use store bought Texas toast but I didn't have any on hand so decided to make a loaf of homemade bread instead.  You know homemade is always better.  My kids thought they had won the after school snack jackpot when they walked in and saw this plate of cinnamon sugar goodness sitting on the cupboard with a big bowl of this amazing Kneader's Cinnamon Syrup sitting next to it.  Okay, so really I guess they did hit the jackpot.  They turned out every bit of amazing that I had imagined.  I was like, "frozen french toast sticks, what?!"  I can never go back.  My french toast stick life has been changed forever.

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk

2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

butter, for griddle or pan

8 slices Texas toast or thick sliced homemade bread sliced into 1-inch wide strips

syrup for dipping, this Kneader's Cinnamon Syrup is my favorite

Coating:

1 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat electric griddle or non-stick skillet.  Mix 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in bowl, set aside for coating.  In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and whisk until combined.  Butter the griddle or skillet.  Dip one slice of bread at a time into the egg mixture, flipping over once to coat the other side.  Place on hot griddle.  Cook on each side until golden brown.  Remove from griddle and coat in cinnamon sugar mixture.  Repeat with all slices of bread until coating mixture is gone.  Add more butter to griddle or skillet as needed.  Serve immediately with maple syrup or your favorite topping. French toast sticks are best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months and can be gently reheated in the microwave or toaster.  

Source:  Averie Cooks