Sweet Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

There’s something to be said about a special brunch at home with something sweet baking in the oven or at the centre of the table to satisfy everyone’s sugar cravings. This bundle of our favorite sweet breakfasts helps create that feeling. Let’s be honest - sweet brunch is the best brunch - dessert for breakfast! These special occasions are for a bit of indulgence - healthy breakfast is for the mid week. From fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes to a golden croissant berry casserole, soft pillowy cinnamon rolls and classic coffee cake. Whether you’re hosting a crowd or just making Sunday feel like something special, there’s a recipe here for everyone. And the best part? Many of these sweet recipes can be prepped the night before, so your morning is a lot less stressful.

What to Expect In This Bundle:

1. Classics But Elevated (lemon ricotta pancakes, waffles, berry pancakes, banana chocolate chip pancakes)
2. Baked & Shareable (French toast casserole, croissant berry casserole, blueberry baked French toast, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon roll cake)
3. Coffee Cake Corner (classic coffee cake, blueberry coffee cake, berry yogurt breakfast cake, blueberry streusel muffins)
   
   
   

The Classics but Elevated: Pancakes and Waffles

Pancakes and waffles are a staple of sweet brunch. Everyone loves them even the kids. We love these fruity versions with fresh strawberries and blueberries plus the lemon ricotta versions that create fluffy and delicious pancakes and waffles. We are also suckers for a classic banana chocolate chip stack too so we had to include them here. Serve with fresh berries or any fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, a dollop of whipped cream or a simple dusting of icing sugar for an extra special treat.

• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• Lemon Ricotta Waffles
• Bueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
• Strawberry Pancakes
• Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
  
  

Make Ahead: These family favorite recipes come together quickly and they hold beautifully if you need to keep a batch warm - do so in a low temp oven or toaster oven while you cook the rest. The same goes for all the pancakes and waffles. The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead and chilled until ready to use. Rested batter makes fluffier pancakes and waffles. More Details and tips about timing below.

• Tip: Why Ricotta Works in Pancakes & Waffles: Ricotta adds protein and fat, which creates a more tender, moist crumb. It’s a great addition that makes a noticeable difference - and it doesn’t change the flavour in any obvious way, just makes everything taste more rich and delicious.
  
  
  

Baked and Shareable: Sweet Breakfast Casseroles That Feed a Crowd

If you’re hosting more than a few people, casseroles are always the best way to go. One dish, one oven, zero standing over the stove all morning. These recipes are the ones that look like they would take the longest to make but actually require the least morning effort because almost everything happens the night before. From show stopping buttery croissants stuffed with vanilla cream and berries, to a simple French toast casserole, blueberry baked casserole and off course we can’t forget the classic cinnamon rolls. Serve these straight from the dish with maple syrup and fresh fruit or as is with their delicious glazes.

• Croissant Berry Casserole
• French Toast Casserole
• Blueberry Casserole
• Strawberry Rhubarb Baked French Toast
• Classic Cinnamon Rolls
  
  

Casserole Make Ahead: The key is assembling them the night before so the croissants/bread have time to fully absorb the custard. Assemble the night before. Cover tightly! Refrigerate. Take out of the tridge 30 minutes before baking ( while preheating oven) so it comes to room temperature and cooks evenly

• Tip: Use day-old (stale) croissants and bread if you can. They absorb the custard better than fresh ones and hold their shape in the oven. (Don’t have stale bread no problem - Heat oven to 350ºF. Spread cubed bread/ croissants in an even layer on sheet pan. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway. Set aside to cool then use as directed in the recipe)
  
  

Cinnamon rolls Make Ahead: The dough can be made the day before, shaped into rolls, and refrigerated overnight. The overnight proofing gives them a super fluffy texture. Wake up to rolls that just need to proof at room temperature for about 1 hour before they go in the oven. They are perfect served warm! The Frosting can also be made a head and stored in the fridge until ready to slather on the warm rolls /buns - allow it to sit at room temperature to take the chill off before slathering on.

Coffee Cake Corner: The Easy Win

Coffee cake and coffee cake-like bake ups are the quiet hero of the brunch table. They are perfect for baking the day before, slice in the morning and set out to serve. The flavors deepen and actually get better, the crumb settles making the texture even better, and the streusel topping stays perfectly crisp. These versions cover simple classic and some berry- full variations. The blueberry muffins with a brown sugar buttery streusel topping are like single serving coffee cakes - and we had to add them to the list! Coffee cake always has a bit of a nostalgic family feel perfect for brunch. They are not overly sweet but sweet enough and perfect with coffee or tea. The best bake ahead cakes!

• Coffee Cake
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Yoghurt Berry Breakfast Cake
• Bakery Style Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Make ahead: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap once fully cooled and leave at room temperature. Slice or serve fresh in the morning. The most critical thing about these cakes is to allow them to cool fully before wrapping so that the streusel stays crisp and the cake stays fresh!

How to stagger everything so it all lands on the table at once

The secret to a sweet brunch that runs smoothly is planning the oven rather than cooking everything at the last minute. Timing is everything! Here are my tips and suggestions:

• Pick 1 recipe from each category to maximize oven time and family friend time. I always love a good make ahead casserole or cinnamon buns - they are the ones that will take up all your oven time and space in the morning.
• The coffee cakes are perfect made the night before so chose one (or more) and bake it the night before, cool and wrap.
• While your casserole is baking you could prepare your batter for pancakes or waffles. Once the casserole is done baking set it out to cool and set oven to low temp (225°F) to keep your pancakes and waffles warm. Then you have some time to make your pancakes or waffles. By the time you are done with the pancakes or waffles the casserole will be set and ready to dig right into it.
• How To keep Pancakes and waffles warm? Place the cooling rack inside a baking sheet. Set that on a rack arranged in the middle of the oven, and set the temperature to 225°F. Transfer hot waffles and pancakes in the oven on prepared racks in a SINGLE, uncovered layer. This temperature will keep the pancakes and waffles warm without continuing to cook them for a 15-30 mins. Enough time to make the full batch and set on the table while they are still warm, the casserole is ready to dig into and cake is sliced and ready to serve!
  
  

Ready to build the full spread?

These sweet recipes are the heart of a great brunch table, but the best spreads mix sweet and savory. If you haven’t already, our savory make-ahead brunch recipes are the perfect companion to this list - quiches, stratas, puff pastry, and more, almost all of them prepped the night before