Breakfasts That Are So Indulgent They Might As Well Be Dessert
Show of hands, who's a sweet breakfast person? Pancakes, French toast, all the doughnuts. Maybe you're more of a savory breakfast person? Eggs, bacon, home fries, hot sauce. Do you fall somewhere in the middle? My friends and I have an unwritten rule when it comes to breakfast or brunch: we eat both. Everyone gets an egg dish, and we'll split something sweet, like red velvet pancakes.
What makes a sweet breakfast so satisfying? Maybe it's the wickedness of eating churro pancakes or Captain Crunch-encrusted French toast before noon. Whatever it is, I'm just glad there are so many options. Go ahead and get out those stretchy pants. It's time for a sugar rush so hearty you're going to need a nap.
Fruity delights
Blueberries are a healthy choice for breakfast, right? Absolutely! At least that's what you'll keep telling yourself when you try the overnight blueberry French toast from Allrecipes. With layers of cubed bread, blueberries, and cream cheese, this is a make-ahead breakfast dream come true.
Put down the bagel. Cream cheese is worthy of so much more, like this lemon cream cheese crescent ring from Pillsbury. Anything that starts with crescent roll dough is automatically a winner in my recipe book, but we're just getting started. The dough is stuffed with tangy cream cheese and a bright burst of lemon before being finished with a drizzle of glaze. Sorry, store-bought Danish. You never really had a chance.
Let them eat cake ... for breakfast! The caramel apple coffee cake from MyRecipes makes me want to start a coffee klatsch for the sole purpose of munching on this cake with a steamy mug of strong coffee. The cake is studded with Granny Smith apples and covered in two homemade toppings: caramel glaze and streusel topping.
Peanut butter indulgences
OMG, are you kidding me? Peanut butter cups for breakfast? The Reese's peanut butter cup banana bread from Mom Loves Baking is a breakfast game-changer. A trifecta blend of bananas, chocolate chips and chopped peanut butter cups make up this one-of-a-kind morning treat. Oh, and did I mention it's also gluten-free? Sweet, indeed!
Just because your breakfast is decadent doesn't mean it has to be completely naughty. Show yourself some love and make this gluten-free vegan chocolate peanut butter oatmeal. If you think the name is a mouthful, just wait until you taste it. Thanks to a swirl of peanut butter, a dusting of cocoa powder, and a handful of chocolate chips, you'll never look at instant oatmeal the same way again.
You're not eating sad bag of dry Cheerios for breakfast, are you? Thanks to the lovely sisters at Six Sisters' Stuff blog, you can be munching on peanut butter breakfast bites instead. The no-bake treats are a quick, simple mix of cereal, honey, and peanut butter. Ooh, I bet they'd even be good with chocolate Cheerios or a drizzle of chocolate...
Red velvet for life
There aren't many desserts that make me as happy as red velvet cake. Just a glimpse of the bright red cake topped with fluffy cream cheese icing and pecans makes me smile. It may not be acceptable to have a slice of red velvet cake for breakfast, but you can make these red velvet cinnamon rolls from Creme de la Crumb, and it's kinda the same thing. Even better actually, and they're topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Chicken. Waffles. Red velvet. Cream cheese. So much is going on in this chicken and red velvet waffles recipe, I don't even know where to start. From the first time I feasted on chicken and waffles with my sister at Sylvia's, a Harlem staple, I was hooked. It has also led to several at-home versions and one waffle iron-related steam burn. But, when I saw Felesha's recipe at Say Grace, I was in awe. Chicken and red velvet waffles? Genius! Not to worry if you aren't into red velvet: Felesha has a salted caramel version of chicken and waffles that's equally decadent.
Irresistible Nutella
Of course Nutella is a breakfast item, it's clearly being spread on pancakes in the commercial. There are tons of recipes using Nutella as a base for brownies and cookies, but for a surefire sugar buzz to begin the day, how about the Nutella banana crescent ring above? Once again, you start with the trusty can o' crescent dough, then snugly wrap Nutella and bananas inside. Bake until your mouth waters and you're calmed by the smell of warm chocolate.
Are you in desperate need of an indulgent breakfast but have no time to cook? Try the Nutty waffle sandwiches from Taste of Home. They remind me of the waffles and ice cream I used to eat as a kid every summer on the boardwalk. The waffle was hot and fresh, the ice cream melting slightly against that warmth — they were utterly delicious. With frozen waffles, Nutella, fruit, and a bit of peanut butter, I can recreate that decadence to go each morning as I stroll down the subway platform.
Oreo adaptations
I wasn't sure it was possible to improve on the Oreo. But after seeing the Oreo-stuffed French toast from Doughmesstic, I could be wrong. It seems like such a simple thing: stuff Oreo in bread, soak bread, griddle, serve. But think of the possibilities. You could use the chocolate-covered strawberry Oreos for Valentine's Day, or how about using the vanilla cookie cinnamon bun Oreos and adding some cinnamon or nutmeg to the egg wash? You could use a different Oreo flavor each week. That's a recipe that keeps on giving.
Have they come up with a pancake-flavored Oreo yet? No? That's okay because Oh, Bite It came up with something even better: "double-stuffed" Oreo pancakes. Finely processed Oreo cookies blend into pancake mix for perfect cookie-pancake bases that are then filled with a thick cream cheese frosting. They're like giant warm and pillowy Oreos. I wonder if dunking these is acceptable?
Scrumptious cake batter
I'm a cake batter junkie. Whew, that felt good to say, and the truth is I'm not alone. That sweet aroma of vanilla batter, sprinkled liberally with colored jimmies is now found in everything from cocktails to actual cake batter like Funfetti. When you start the day with Funfetti cake batter pancakes, you're almost guaranteed a party. The secret is to mix some cake mix into the pancake batter along with lots of sprinkles. A recipe this festive needs something more than maple syrup as a topper. For a true cake batter experience, just whip up a buttercream glaze and top with another generous handful of sprinkles.
There is one person whose cake batter love may surpass mine — Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction. She's always coming up with creative recipes using the buttery flavor of vanilla, and her cake batter cinnamon rolls are no exception. What I love about this recipe is that she created the cake batter flavor with ingredients around the house without using cake mix! The result is a fluffy, tender sweet roll full of both cinnamon and cake batter flavors. Cake batter heaven.
Sinning with s'mores
S'mores aren't just for summertime and campfires. The ooey, gooey combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows is classic Americana. These s'mores streusel muffins take the flavors of childhood and put them into an individual breakfast treat that can even be enjoyed on-the-go.
Delish takes cinnamon rolls up a notch with the easy s'mores cinnamon rolls seen above. No need to make dough; just start with a can of cinnamon rolls, then unroll them and fill with marshmallow fluff and chocolate chips. They're re-rolled, baked, and topped with chocolate sauce, mini marshmallows, and crushed graham crackers. A quick trip under the broiler makes them roasted and bubbling, as if they came right off the campfire. And the best part: no sticks necessary.
Tropical flavors
How did I get this far into a breakfast post without writing about the mighty doughnut? Growing up, my grandmom and mom used to make a doughnut-type treat called scupels. The batter was basic with no yeast, but they fried up big and fluffy with a crunchy exterior. I recently made them for a breakfast I hosted, adding chopped apple plus cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter, similar to this recipe from the apple fritter recipe from the Pioneer Woman. But not all doughnuts need to be fried in order to be delicious. Fruity and tropical mango coconut doughnuts from Chez Cateylou are baked in a doughnut pan, which replicates the shape of a doughnut without an extra drop of oil. If you happen to have a cake ball maker, like I do, you could also pop the batter into those molds and have a little army of doughnut holes. Whatever cooking method you choose, make the doughnuts truly decadent by coating them in a pureed mango glaze, and top each with big chunks of toasted coconut for a final tropical vibe.
Can you see the palm trees, feel the ocean breezes, and smell the coconut in the air? OK, so maybe it's just a beach-scented candle, but you can taste the tropics anytime you want with the irresistible coconut-crusted French toast from Two Peas and Their Pod. The recipe incorporates eggs with coconut milk, plus coconut and vanilla extracts for an exceptional tropical breakfast or brunch item. The recipe gets even more decadent when it's coated in coconut before cooking, creating a caramelized crust that's a textural contrast to the custard center.
Clean up with caramel
Pull-apart bread, commonly referred to as monkey bread, is fun to talk about and even more fun to eat! I've been know to make this with frozen bread dough or leftover pizza dough. They both provide the perfect balance to the gooey, sweet sauce that bathes the dough in scrumptiousness. If you're in the mood for a more salty/sweet breakfast, Tablespoon has you covered with this caramel bacon monkey bread. It really takes the ... bread. Chunks of biscuit dough are tossed in brown sugar and cinnamon, then loaded into a Bundt or tube pan with caramel sauce. Top with lots of crispy, salty bacon. Tada!
I'm pretty sure I saved the best for last. These ultimate sticky buns from Bon Appetit absolutely live up to their name. They take two days to make, so you really need to plan ahead, but it'll be unbelievably worth it. I've made them a few times, and my advice for you? If you're going to make them once, definitely double the recipe. They go fast, but they also freeze extremely well for whenever early morning or late-night cravings hit. Between the caramel and pecans, they don't need anything else but a tall glass of cold milk. But maybe you're having one of those days and you want to really get crazy? Go ahead and top a warmed bun with vanilla ice cream. You deserve it.