Apparently us millennials are a nostalgic bunch. Amidst the uncertainty and chaos of the 2020s, we seem to be falling hard for anything that hearkens the more carefree days of our early aughts youth (what else could explain the return of the crop top?). I couldn’t help but wonder if this compulsive nostalgia is also influencing food trends. Case in point – this past year, it seemed like everyone suddenly rediscovered Cinnamon Toast.
And for good reason – cinnamon toast is one of the simplest, most comforting breakfasts you can make. I still make it when I’m in need of a warm and comforting breakfast (or late-night snack). The smell of buttery cinnamon takes me back to chilly fall mornings when my mom would make me cinnamon toast as a sweet treat to start to the day.
As pumpkin spice everything began popping up everywhere in the last few weeks, I was inspired to create a mashup of classic cinnamon toast with classic fall flavors. This pumpkin spice cinnamon toast is the easiest, most decadent weekday breakfast you can make yourself this season.
There are as many ways to make cinnamon toast as there are food bloggers, but I prefer the oven for its hands-off nature and the house-warming cinnamon smells it produces. To start, you cream butter and sugar as if making a cake, followed by a blend of spices – if you have a pumpkin spice blend you like, feel free to use about a tablespoon and a half of that in place of the spices I list. Then stir in just a bit of pumpkin puree and slather the mixture on thick slices of soft bread. Pop it in the oven for about 12 minutes and for the last minute, switch on your broiler to get that bubbly, ooey, gooey sugar caramelization going.
The real key here is to restrain yourself from devouring the toast the minute it comes out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes on the baking tray. This gives the caramelized sugar time to harden and develop a crispy oh-so-satisfying crust that contrasts with the pillowy softness of the bread underneath.
I experimented extensively with the butter to pumpkin ratio. Less is more here, as too much pumpkin puree added excess moisture that made the bread too soggy and prevented formation of that golden, crackly crust. This is a great way to use up the last bits of pumpkin puree left over from that recipe that didn’t use quite a full can (so annoying!).
If you make a batch ahead of time, you can have a decadent breakfast in 15 minutes flat. Which leaves you more time to squeeze in watching a 90s reboot before work.
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Toast
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices soft bread
- 4 tbsp softened butter
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
Directions
- Preheat your toaster oven or oven to 350F. Place rack in the upper third (if using oven).
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in spices.
- Stir in pumpkin puree by hand using a spatula or wooden spoon – be gentle, as you don’t want to “split” the creamed butter/sugar/spice mixture!
- Arrange sliced bread on a baking tray. Divide the pumpkin & butter mixture evenly between all 4 slices, spreading all the way to edges.
- Bake for 12 minutes, checking at 12 to make sure your butter isn’t burning. When the mixture looks melted and gooey, turn on the broiler to low and broil until caramelized and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to firm up for 5 minutes to produce a crispy, crackly top.
- Devour and contemplate making another round.
