Chocolate French Toast Sandwiches with Coconut-Maple Caramel Sauce

Even good cooks have bad days.  In our home, the chocolate chili I made when Anthony and I first got married still lives on in infamy. (We were so poor back then that we had to eat the whole rotten pot!)  On Saturday, a good friend from high school came to visit, and I wouldn't say that the meal was a major mess-up like the chili, but it was totally unimpressive.  I will blame it on the fact that I had food poisoning the night before--from the one time in months that my husband and I went out on a dinner date.  What I should have made my friend was this french toast that I dreamed up the next morning while Abiline was sleeping on my chest--crushing my chest, that is-- after waking up far too early that morning.  We enjoyed this toast for our General Conference breakfast, but I think it would make a great Easter breakfast, too; in fact, I tried to make the toast into egg and bunny shapes, though you may not be able to tell in the picture. Happy Easter, everyone!



For the batter:
1 cup non-dairy milk  (I used So-Delicious coconut milk.)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 cup no-soy tofu (if you don't have a soy allergy, of course you could use regular silken tofu.)

For the caramel sauce:
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. agar powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

8 slices of whole-grain bread
1/4 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips, ground or finely chopped

1. Make the caramel sauce by combining the coconut milk, maple syrup, salt, and agar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until bubbling around the edges, and then let simmer for 2 mins. Remove the sauce from the heat and place it in the fridge to cool and thicken a bit. 
2. Preheat a large griddle or frying pan over medium heat (about 325 degrees if you have a pancake griddle) and brush it with oil.  In a food processor or blender, blend together the non-dairy milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, maple syrup, and no-soy tofu.  Pour the batter onto a large shallow plate, and dip the bread into the batter one piece at a time, coating both sides. Fry the battered bread on the griddle for about 4-5 mins. per side, until nice and crispy.
3. Once your toast is done, don't turn off the griddle. Assemble the sandwiches by spreading about 1-2 tablespoons of caramel sauce over 4 slices of the bread, then topping with about a tablespoon of ground chocolate. Top with another toast slice, and then place the sandwiches back on the griddle for just a minute or two to melt the chocolate. Serve hot, drizzled with the remaining caramel sauce.

I linked this recipe up this week to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,  Allergy-Free Wednesdays, and Wellness Weekend. Thanks to all those wonderful bloggers who host these recipe-share events!

Here are Abiline and Sawyer post-chocolate toast breakfast. Who wouldn't be happy?