Coconut French Toast with Orange Cream Cheese Syrup

For the French toast:

Prepare French toast the night before. In a shallow bowl whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla until very well combined and golden in color. Dip sliced bread into the egg mixture and coat each slice well. Put the slices into a glass dish. Pour any remaining egg mixture over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge overnight (or at least for a couple of hours) to soak in the egg-y goodness.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 9X13 baking dish with butter. When ready, remove French toast from fridge. Place coconut onto a plate and press each slice of bread into the coconut until both sides and the edges are coated. Place each one into the baking pan. Place a little extra coconut on the top side of each slice of bread.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until egg coating is fully cooked and coconut is light golden brown. If needed, turn the dish half way through baking time for even browning.

For the syrup:

Cut cream cheese and butter into small pieces and put them into a medium sized saucepan. Add the orange juice and zest and warm up the mixture over low heat until fully melted. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in powdered sugar until becomes a lovely syrup. If needed, pour syrup into a blender and blend for a smoother texture.

Drizzle syrup over each piece of French toast or serve on the side in a lovely pitcher.

Note: If desired, use a knife to cut a small slit into the sides of each slice of bread and place a few chocolate chips inside the middle for a chocolate-y surprise. Do this step prior to dredging it in the egg mixture.