The Stuffed French Toast You and Your Child Make Together
There’s no secret to the elemental appeal of this one: it’s a french toast sandwich, stuffed with bananas and peanut butter and honey. So, basically, everything small children love, covered/smooshed between other things they love. You can’t lose!
But that’s not even the best part. Check out the prep steps: so many ways to get children 2 or above involved in the preparation of the dish, including rolling the bread, spreading the peanut butter, slicing the bananas, and so on. Indeed, making the dish is something like an activity unto itself, with opportunities for practicing gross motor skills, interacting with various foods and kitchen tools, and shape and sensory awareness. (Note: directions below do not indicate which actions your child should do–that’s for you to decide!)
- 2 slices Sandwich Bread
- 1/2 Banana
- Peanut butter
- Honey (optional)
- 1 Egg
- Milk of your choice
- Cinnamon powder
- Optional: Remove crusts if your child prefers them off. With a roller, flatten both pieces of bread. Spread peanut butter all over one piece of bread and lightly over another.
- Chop banana into thin discs. Place banana pieces all over the peanut butter-heavy piece of bread, then drizzle honey over the top of the bananas (optional).
- Line up the bread slices so that the inside is not exposed, then adhere together.
- In a flat container large enough to hold at least one slice of bread, mix the egg with a splash of milk and two shakes of cinnamon.
- Heat a pan to Medium. Once hot, place a pat of butter or a small glug of oil into the pan and swirl about.
- Place one side of the sandwich into the egg batter, lifting after a few seconds to drain any excess batter; repeat for other side.
- Place in pan and cook until underside is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes; flip and cook for another 1.5-2 minutes, until other side is the same color. Remove from heat.
- Halve and allow the sandwich to cool down for a few minutes before serving.
For your child’s sake–and maybe humanity’s–it’s best not to offer syrup or other accoutrement you’d otherwise offer with the usual french toast; some fruit on the side may be the only thing needed to round things out. Because this is so rich and filling, don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t finish his/her portion of the sandwich at first but may come back to it at other times during the day.
Every component of this adaptable: switch up the bread used–croissants are delicious overkill–or the nut butter or even the fruit. Go full Elvis by adding bacon into the mix; swap the peanut butter out altogether and use cream cheese instead.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
