Stuffed French Toast Recipe

24 raisin bread slices, crusts trimmed
8 eggs
3 cups low fat or whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Two 8-ounce packages Neufchatel or regular cream cheese, softened
Cinnamon sugar, optional

1. Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass baking pan. Arrange 12 of the bread slices in the bottom of the pan, overlapping slightly.
2. Whisk 6 eggs in a large bowl until well beaten. Add the milk, half-and-half, and ½ cup of the granulated sugar; mix well. Pour half of the milk mixture evenly over the bread slices.
3. Combine the remaining 2 eggs, ½ cup granulated sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cream cheese in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour the cheese mixture over the bread in the pan. Arrange the remaining 12 bread slices on top of the cheese mixture, overlapping slightly, and pour the remaining milk mixture evenly over all. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Remove the plastic wrap from the baking pan. Bake 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Serves 8 to 12

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: To make cinnamon sugar, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Store in a shaker jar or bottle for sprinkling on buttered toast.