Ooh la la! This French toast bake is a chocolate lover's dream. Similar to a bread pudding, it's irresistibly warm and fluffy once you pull it out of the oven. But let's back up: assembling this beauty starts with flaky croissants that get soaked and baked in a custardy mixture of eggs, milk, Nutella, and cream cheese for extra richness. And because they go so well with chocolate, you can't forget the fresh strawberries!

To make the French toast bake

1. Add the Nutella and softened cream cheese to a small bowl, stirring to combine.
2. Slice your bread, rolls, or croissants in half lengthwise. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the Nutella mixture onto the bottom half of each slice before replacing the top to make Nutella sandwiches. Repeat with remaining slices.
3. Cut each Nutella sandwich into 1" cubes.
4. Grease an 8"x8" or 8"x12" casserole dish. Add the sandwich cubes and strawberries to the prepared dish.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the sandwich cubes, thoroughly coating all of the bread.
6. Cover your French toast bake with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
7. Once you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Spoon any unabsorbed egg mixture over the bread.
8. Place the uncovered dish in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the egg mixture is fully cooked.

To add the toppings

1. Heat the Nutella in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
2. Pour the warm Nutella into a resealable plastic bag to create your own DIY piping bag. Carefully cut a small corner of the bag.
3. Drizzle Nutella onto the French toast bake. Garnish with sliced strawberries and serve!

Nellie's Notes

1. This recipe is best when made with dry, stale bread. If you have a fresh loaf, leave it out on the counter the night before making this dish or dry in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes.
2. Not a fan of Nutella or cream cheese? No problem! Feel free to skip the first two recipe steps and sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips onto your bread cubes before baking.
3. This French toast bake recipe is easy to scale up when you need to feed a crowd. For a double batch, simply double all ingredients and bake in a 9"x13" casserole dish, adding a few minutes to your cook time if needed.
4. To save on time and oven space, make this French toast bake in the slow cooker! Prepare your bread mixture as usual, but skip the refrigerator and bake in your slow cooker on high for 2 hours, or until the egg mixture is thoroughly cooked.