Baklava-Style French Toast Sticks
with Honey Lemon Syrup & Pistachios | 2 servings
- Tree Nuts
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
French toast meet baklava. Cinnamony, buttery French toast, say hello to the sweet honey syrup and toasted nuttiness that is baklava. Break out this recipe for a sweet brunch for two (adults and kids alike). In this version, lemony, custardy brioche batons are covered in a warm honey syrup and generously sprinkled with crisp, toasty walnuts and pistachios. It’s a sweet pairing perfect for two to start or complete your weekend.
Ingredients
1 unit
Lemon
1 ounce
Pistachios
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
1 ounce
Walnuts
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
2 unit
Brioche Buns
(Contains: Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Cinnamon
2 tablespoon
Honey
2 unit
Eggs
(Contains: Eggs)
6.75 ounce
Milk
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
3 tablespoon
Sugar
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Cooking Steps
Wash and dry produce. Roughly chop walnuts and pistachios together. Zest lemon until you have 2 tsp; quarter lemon. Halve brioche buns lengthwise; then cut each half lengthwise into 1-inch-thick strips (like French toast sticks).
Heat a large dry, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter until melted. Transfer nuts to a large bowl; stir in ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt until coated.
In a small pot, combine honey, ½ cup water, 2 TBSP sugar, and juice from one lemon wedge over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved and mixture thickens into a light syrup, 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat and cover with a lid until ready to serve.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs*, lemon zest, half the milk, remaining cinnamon, 1 TBSP sugar, and a pinch of salt until fully combined. (It’s OK if there are a few clumps of cinnamon.)
Heat 1 TBSP butter and a drizzle of oil in pan used for nuts over medium heat. Dip brioche strips into egg mixture, gently turning a few times to coat. Once butter begins to foam, add coated brioche strips to pan. (TIP: Let any excess egg mixture drip off first.) Cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes. TIP: Work in batches if necessary, wiping out pan and add more oil and butter between batches. Reduce heat if French toast begins to brown too quickly. Transfer French toast sticks to bowl with nut mixture.
Drizzle honey syrup over French toast sticks and nuts in bowl; toss to combine. Divide French toast sticks between plates, arranging them in a pile; spoon remaining syrup and nuts from bowl over top. Serve.
Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw eggs. Consuming raw or undercooked eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The honey lemon syrup and toasted nuts were the highlights, delivering a warm, sweet-and-nutty flavor that many loved. Some found the lemon a touch overpowering — use three-quarters of the lemon juice if you prefer a milder citrus note.
- Ease of prep: This dish takes noticeably longer than the estimated time — most reviewers needed 30 minutes or more, so plan accordingly. Several found the number of pans and steps more involved than expected for a breakfast recipe.
- Suggestions: Add a splash of vanilla to the syrup for a richer flavor, and let sliced brioche sit out for a few hours beforehand to reduce sogginess 🍞. Finely dicing the nuts (rather than roughly chopping) helps them stick better to the sticks. A few swapped white sugar for brown sugar in the nut mixture for added depth.
- Syrup: Many found the syrup stayed thin even after the full cooking time — cook it an extra 5–10 minutes over medium-high heat, and avoid reducing the heat too much to help it thicken. One reviewer added an extra lemon wedge, a pat of butter, and vanilla to rescue a watery syrup.
- Bread: Several reviewers felt brioche buns were awkward to cut and cook; sliced brioche bread or challah would be easier to work with and hold up better in the egg mixture.
Reviews from our home cooks
The brioche buns got soggy quickly in the egg mixture so a different type of bread would be recommended. Besides that the only thing that really said baklava in this recipe was the syrup (which was really good). It would have been nice to have the french toast read more of baklava rather than french toast with baklava elements on it.
I like the flavors since my dad bought baklava home after a work trip with one of the military branches years ago. I even had some lemon yogurt to dip the French toast into. The syrup was the main issue. I wish there was a tip for getting all the honey out in case they crystallize. Also, my syrup wasn't as thickened as I liked it to be. Maybe that's due to reducing the syrup over medium heat, thinking I'd burn the mixture. How long should I reduce the syrup over medium heat to get the same results as medium-high heat?
These baklava French toast sticks were very good. I was hesitant to order them because I thought they might be too sweet, but they absolutely are not. I'm very glad I tried them, and I will order them again.
A more lemony syrup than any baklava I've ever had. It was tasty, but next time I'll probably not use all the juice of the one lemon. Maybe 1/2 to 3/4.
OMGosh this was delicious. Served it with bacon. Added some vanilla to syrup, you should really offer this as a tip for richer taste. Also sliced bread first thing in morning and let set on baking sheet for several hours, keeps the sticks from being soggy.
This was delicious. The lemon honey syrup was delicious. I make it all the time now. It also tastes good with chicken. Like an Asian lemon chicken.
Loved the nuts, homemade sauce, and addition of lemon zest. This recipe makes a lovely and seemingly extravagant dish for weekend breakfast or brunch.
Yum! Not sure I'd bother with making the syrup next time though and just use what we have on hand. It was good just adds time and extra dirty dishes. Loved the french toast though and will buy again
So I did not cut like sticks but the 2 servings were filling for us. The lemon was a great touch of taste. Definitely a reorder. Delish!
Amazing ♡♡♡♡ I'd probably make a homemade whipped cream in the future to top them. Also would add brown sugar in with the nut mixture. Such a beautiful elevated and tasty dish ♡♡♡
