I recently found out that February 5th is World Nutella day. This is great news because I have a not so secret obsession with Nutella. So, what did I do? I spent all week cooking with my favorite chocolate hazelnut spread, of course!

This stuffed french toast recipe is so decadent, it could pass as dessert. The Nutella center makes it sweet, so there is no need for syrup and the addition of fresh orange juice and orange zest in the batter creates a flavor combination that is to die for.

Orange Scented French Toast with Nutella

1 loaf brioche bread or a bread of similar consistency, day old is preferable. You will need about 10 slices.

4 eggs

1 cup milk

zest of 1 medium orange

Juice of 1 medium orange

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 Tbsp sugar

dash of salt

Jar of Nutella

Vegetable Oil for cooking

Slice your bread into 1/2 inch thick slices. I used a cookie cutter to cut out hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day, but feel free to leave the crust on if you prefer it that way. Spread a layer of Nutella on the bread and cover with another slice of bread, creating a Nutella sandwich. The amount of Nutella is up to you, the more you load on, the sweeter it will be!

Combine eggs, milk, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, sugar and salt in a shallow bowl and whisk. Next, Place about 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and heat to medium or medium low heat.

Dip one of your Nutella sandwiches into the batter until it is fully coated. Be careful not to soak your bread or you might not have enough batter to get through all your french toast.

Cook in the oiled pan until golden brown on both sides and fully cooked. Because the french toast will be thick, you might feel that the sides didn’t cook and crisp up as nice as you would like. If this happens, just place them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until nice and crispy on the outside. This also works well for keeping the first couple warm while you finish making the rest.

Repeat dipping and cooking the french toast, adding oil to the pan each time.

Once they are complete, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

mmmmm, Nutella.