coco-vanilla french toast bites with ube dip

episode #1 of my french toast series

welcome to food talk & the first ep. of my french toast series

ya boy is finally active on substack – if you’re looking for an introduction or soft entry into this space start here: you’ll learn about my motivations & future plans for food talk.

however, if you wanna hit the ground running with my first substack recipe - which is totally understandable, continue onward.

this bby was sparkling ^.^

for context – we’re in the midst of back-to-school season & this series has been at a low simmer for months now. I could no longer gate-keep the indulgent concepts I had in mind from y’all, including these coco-vanilla french toast bites with an ube sweetened condensed milk.

your kids will love them, you will love them - they’re an absolute banger plus the recipe is ube-r simple, get it (wink-wink).

here’s a quick overview of the recipe: king’s hawaiian rolls are quickly dunked - I’m talking 8 seconds tops, in a simple batter of vanilla coffee creamer (highly recommend Chobani), coconut milk, vanilla extract & a bit of salt. This provides a papable vanilla flavor. To enhance the flavor of its counterpart, coconut, the rolls are tossed in a mixture of shredded coconut & coconut sugar after being pan-fried to golden-brown perfection.

it’s key to toss the rolls in that mixture while they’re still hot. This will ensure you get an even & consistent coating.

the dipping sauce requires two ingredients: ube extract (here’s a low-cost + high-cost-good quality option) & sweetened condensed milk - which you should have multiple cans; this ingredient will make several more appearances in this series.

these bites could be part of a larger breakfast or brunch spread but personally I enjoy them as-is without any accompaniment. Whip ‘em up, do a lil taste test & let me know what you think.

be on the lookout – there are four more recipes in this series :)

recipe!

coco-vanilla french toast bites with ube sweetened condensed milk

3-4 servings 10 mins prep + 15 mins cook | 25 mins total time

ingredients

• 3 eggs

• 2 cups chobani vanilla coffee creamer

• 1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1-12 count package king’s hawaiian sweet rolls

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, finely shredded

• 1 teaspoon ube extract

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

instructions

to prepare ube sweetened condensed milk, simply add ube extract to milk & mix until well incorporated.

to prepare french toast bites, in a bowl, whisk eggs, coffee creamer, coconut milk, vanilla extract & a pinch of salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix coconut sugar & shredded coconut. Set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium-high heat. While butter is melting, add half of the sweet rolls to the creamer-egg mixture; submerge them for 6-8 seconds. Shake off excess mixture or allow to drip off on a wire rack-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining rolls. Place rolls in pan ensuring that there is no overcrowding. Brown on all sides. Remove from pan & set aside. Repeat process until all rolls are cooked. Toss rolls in prepared shredded coconut-sugar mixture, if desired. Serve hot with ube sweetened condensed milk.