Cozy Holiday Brunch Recipes

Cranberry Breakfast Pastries Recipe

Spinach, Bacon, and Gruyère Breakfast Strata Recipe

This dish has fewer than 20g of total carbs--about half of what you'll find in classic bread-based casseroles. Greek yogurt, eggs, and cheese pack a mighty protein punch, while a touch of bacon seasons to perfection. The strata is best if allowed to soak overnight. Not only does this build in make-ahead convenience, it also allows the bread to fully absorb the egg mixture--yielding a creamy texture inside, while the top bread pieces get delightfully crisp.

Sausage and Polenta Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Andouille sausage, two types of cheese, and a splash of hot sauce add flavor and a little kick to Sausage and Polenta Breakfast Casserole. This make-ahead breakfast casserole is perfect for holiday mornings--just cook and enjoy.

Ham Biscuit Casserole Recipe

Sticky Cinnamon Roll Babka Buns Recipe

If you're looking for decadence, you're in the right place. Though the dough requires multiple steps, the result is a bun that is sweeter, stickier, and more gooey than any bun you've had before. Our chefs joke about wanting to take a nap after experiencing the richness of this dessert. Saigon cinnamon is recommended for a stronger spicy-sweet flavor, but regular cinnamon can be easily substituted. Serve with coffee at brunch or as an afternoon treat. 

French Toasted Waffles Recipe

Two breakfast favorites merge for one epically crispy and delicious, maple syrup covered masterpiece.  

Raspberry and Cream Cheese Danish Roll Recipe

Make holiday mornings even more special with this raspberry danish. Tender, golden dough filled with fruity jam enriched with cream cheese creates the perfect pastry to serve family and friends. Master the jelly roll technique by following the steps in this simple recipe. 

Easiest Cinnamon Rolls Ever Recipe

Holiday mornings and chilly afternoons are made complete with warm, gooey cinnamon rolls. If you want to make them for breakfast, you can make the rolls the night before, cover them well, and refrigerate the unbaked rolls overnight. Just let them come to room temperature before baking them as directed. If you prefer a more gooey roll, bake for less time. 

Breakfast Hot Dish Recipe

If you're not from the Upper Midwest, you may not be familiar with hot dish. Traditionally, it's a casserole of starch (often french fries or tots), meat, and vegetables held together by a creamy sauce. "It's an easy way to feed a crowd," says Molly, "and it's perfect for the dead of winter because it's so hearty and warm and comforting." Her update uses sweet potatoes flavored with Aleppo pepper. To get a head start, you can roast the potatoes and brown the sausage a couple of days ahead.

Creamy Brioche and Egg Bake Recipe

This stand alone breakfast dish is an upgrade from the usual breakfast casserole. Baking eggs in brioche and heavy cream allows for perfectly set, soft, and runny eggs. Fresh herbs and rich egg and meaty sausage flavors round out this bake and give it irresistable texture. Ask for brioche at your local grocery store or bakery and they are sure to have it. 

Spinach and Feta Quiche with Quinoa Crust Recipe

Cheesy quiche partners beautifully with a bright, citrusy salad. Whisk together 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Add 3 cups baby kale, 3/4 cup grapefruit sections, and 1/4 cup sliced red onion; toss to coat.

Copycat Peppermint Mocha Recipe

Get that irresistable, chocolatey-mint coffee at home, anytime with this Peppermint Mocha recipe. Add more syrup for a sweeter, stronger mint flavor. If you can't steam milk at home, warm the milk slowly in a saucepan and froth the milk by shaking it in a tightly sealed jar, using a frother, or whisking thoroughly while heating.

Just as wide leg pants and hair parted down the middle have made a comeback in the last few years, so has another 1970s gem: the slow cooker. In the breakfast realm alone, we’ve stirred slow cooker oatmeal, sliced into slow cooker egg casserole, even drooled over slow cooker cinnamon rolls. Considering the slow cooker’s large surface area, it’s a natural tool to lug out when feeding a crowd, and I’ve recently become a convert. Unless I’m laying out a bagel buffet, my go-to group brunch is slow cooker French toast. Similar to a fluffy bread pudding or baked oatmeal, slow cooker French toast is warm and filling, yet completely low-maintenance. 

To assemble slow cooker French toast, mix together 6 eggs, 2½ cups milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Whisk in a glug of heavy cream if you have some in the fridge. Slice 2 bananas thinly. Grab a large loaf of sliced challah or French bread—even better if it’s a day or two old—and cut each slice in half diagonally. Grease your slow cooker with cooking spray, and lay the half sliced bread in a single layer in the pot. Layer half the sliced bananas over the bread. Throw in a handful of raisins over the bananas if you want. (Some of my friends like raisins. I don’t, really, but I like to add them for those folks. It’s a nice gesture.) Cover the first layer of the French toast casserole with a tablespoon of shredded butter. 

Make another bread-and-banana layer, then drizzle the egg mixture over the whole thing. The liquid shouldn’t cover the bread completely, but it should reach more than halfway up the side of the slow cooker. Add more milk if the liquid doesn’t reach the halfway mark. Top the mixture with another tablespoon of grated butter, then sprinkle with another tablespoon or two of brown sugar. Turn on the slow cooker, set to low, and boom, you’re done.

Slow cooker French toast takes between two and three hours to bubble into a creamy casserole, so it’s best to use the cooking time to get a little fancy. Throw a tablecloth on the coffee table and light some incense for ambiance, maybe mix together a Champagne cocktail for the group and/or take a shower. By the time your friends arrive, the kitchen will smell like cinnamon and joy. When you’re ready to eat the French toast, stack bowls next to the stove and let everyone serve themselves from the pot.

Dressing up a bowl of slow cooker French toast is a deeply personal practice. Some of my friends go classic with maple syrup. Others like to cover it in fruit to pretend they’re healthier than the rest of us. Whatever. But you should definitely do that if you want, fruit is good for you. I prefer to drizzle my slow cooker French toast with tahini, add just a few sliced strawberries for good luck, and top the bowl with a tiny pinch of sea salt.

Holiday Brunch Tonic Recipe

This fizzy beverage takes on a festive feel with the scent of rosemary-infused sugar syrup. Garnish with extra rosemary sprigs, if desired. Serve shortly after mixing everything together so the tonic will sparkle.

Copycat Gingerbread Latte Recipe

Who needs to make a trip to the cafe when you can make your favorite holiday drinks at home? This gingerbread latte has everything you love about gingerbread and java in one delightfully caffeinated drink. If you can't steam milk at home, warm the milk slowly in a saucepan and froth the milk by shaking it in a tightly sealed jar, using a frother, or whisking thoroughly while heating.

Cider Doughnuts with Maple-Tahini Glaze Recipe

Bacon, Tomato and Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Eggs Recipe

This breakfast casserole topped with runny eggs by F&W's Grace Parisi develops a terrific texture as it cooks slowly in a glass dish (which makes it easy to see when the bottom is perfectly browned). As one F&W editor remarked on tasting it, "I worship the crisp bottom and the chewy, moist bread."

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Prep this the night before for an easy breakfast or brunch. Find turkey sausage in the freezer section of the supermarket with other breakfast meats.

Ham, Gruyère and Spinach Strata Recipe

Whip up Ham, Gruyère and Spinach Strata for a filling breakfast or brunch dish. It's a great dish for using leftover holiday ham.

Gingerbread Muffins with Spiced Streusel and Spiced Hard Sauce Recipe

We know, serving streusel-topped muffins with hard sauce is gilding the lily, but hey, it's Christmas morning after all.

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Make sure your butter is very soft when you spread it on the rolled dough so the dough doesn't tear.

Saffron and Golden Raisin Breakfast Bread Recipe

Put your bread machine to work mixing this dough. We liked the bread best sliced and toasted.

Cheesy Grits Soufflé Recipe

This recipe for Cheesy Grits Soufflé turns a classic Southern dish into a light, fluffy soufflé for the ultimate holiday brunch.

Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe

Dress up coffee cake for the holidays by adding cranberry sauce, pecans and a sugary citrus glaze. 

Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole Recipe

This prep-ahead casserole, which turns extra dinner rolls and cranberry sauce into a brunch or dessert treat, is especially welcome if you are entertaining houseguests for the long holiday weekend. While we enjoyed the tartness of the Granny Smith apples, any baking apple will do. Serve with apple wedges.

Cranberry-Orange Warmer Recipe

Full of soothing aromas and flavors, we suggest sipping on our Cranberry-Orange Warmer this holiday season that will not only warm your body, but your heart too.

Apple-Stuffed Strata Recipe

Last-minute prep for this make-ahead breakfast casserole couldn't be simpler: Just add a dusting of sugar and nuts.