Reconnecting with My Toastmaster Snackster!

Blueberry, Cream Cheese and Cinnamon Stuffed French Toast Bites with Maple Syrup

Nate really wanted homemade waffles for breakfast this morning. I figured why not, it's the last day of winter break, let's make breakfast with a bang. So I climbed up onto the kitchen counter to reach the rarely used waffle maker. I also found a few other rarely used kitchen accessories up there too, one being the "Snackster." Yep you read this correctly, the Toastmaster Snackster Maker to be exact. I took both of them down and had to dust them off. The waffle maker gets used a few times a year but the Snackster, I don't even remember the last time I used it and I've had it for at least 10 years. If I remember correctly I bought the Snackster for like $10.00 at Walgreens. I don't know why I bought it but I must have been thinking "Oh this looks super cool, I can make some really scrumptious restaurant quality grilled cheese pockets in this thing." NOT! I probably used it once or twice and ever since it's been sitting on a shelf collecting piles of dust. The odd thing is why I even decided to bring it to our house in Ellicottville in the first place. Especially since I haven't used it in the last 10 years. The Snackster is one of those items I should have sold at one of my mom's many garage sales, for like $1.00 with room to negotiate, or so I thought! Things happen for a reason my friends. That Toastmaster Snackster Maker was meant to be taken to Ellicottville; it was meant to sit way up high in my kitchen cabinet; it was meant to wait patiently collecting dust; it was meant to be used Sunday, February 23, 2014 to make the most delicious "Blueberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Stuffed French Toast Bites" one has ever tasted! Yes, this is what I made for breakfast and let me tell you those sweet delectable morsels were out of this world! I drizzled pure maple syrup over the top and added some Penzey Cinnamon Spice over the top. Dave took a bite and said "Wow, these are so good they could be served at the Prince of Whales Hotel and Restaurant!" Nate called them legendary and said it was one of the best breakfasts he's had in a while. Trust me that's a huge compliment considering Dave is the breakfast chef extraordinaire. Seriously, they were that good. I was like hello Snackster where have you been all my life. The best thing is that the possibilities are endless when it comes to creating your own pocket of scrumptiousness. So we started brainstorming the ingredients we could use next....like smore's, or brie with cranberry, or spinach with feta, or pesto with tomato, or mascarpone with lemon zest and raspberries, the list goes on! I know what you're thinking....I'm crazy! Well don't knock it til' you've tried it! Raise your hand if you have a Snackster. If your hand is raised, dig it out, dust it off and use it! I know I'll be using mine again. I'm actually inspired to pull out some other kitchen cookware that I haven't used in forever, like my Clay Pot cooker! Salute to reconnecting with my Toastmaster Snackster Maker!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Stuffed French Toast Bites

Preparation and cook time: 10 minutes

Serves 2

Cookware needed: Sandwich maker or press

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bread
• 4 tb cream cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries 
• 4 tb unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 t sugar
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon 
• 2 tb maple syrup

Preheat sandwich maker. Butter each slice of bread, one side with 1 tb butter. Set 2 slices of bread butter side down on sandwich maker and spread cream 2 tb of cream cheese on each slice. Place the blueberries evenly on both slices of bread. Sprinkle with sugar and cream cheese. Top with second slices of bread buttered side up. Press down top of sandwich maker and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Split slices in half, serve on a plate and drizzle maple syrup over top or simply dunk slices in a small dipping bowl of syrup.

Food Impressions:

Nate: "Legendary. the best breakfast I've had in a long time."

Tyler: "These are so amazing. Can I have another one?"

Zachary: "Wow, I love the cream cheese and the berries are so warm and they kinda bursted in my mouth."

Dave: "These are delicious enough to be served at the Prince Of Whales Hotel and Restaurant."

Andrea: These sweet morsels were out of this world. What a pleasant surprise. I can't wait to try other recipes and I'll be sure to post.

Look at the blueberries, melted cream cheese and cinnamon.
The pure maple syrup adds the perfect balance of sweetness.

Buttered bread, cream cheese, fresh blueberries and cinnamon ready to be made in the Snackster. Yum.

In 5 minutes these morsels were done.

We made blueberry waffles too!

This is what happens when you add too much batter!