This has become our Christmas morning tradition. It is a very forgiving recipe that anyone with a little kitchen intuition will be able to turn into a masterpiece! It's different every year I make it, but one thing that I've made a permanent addition is the use of canned blueberry pie filling in the dish rather than making the sauce from scratch for the top. With the pie filling, it's goey and sweet enough. I plop heaping spoonfuls in the middle, the same layer as adding the cream cheese, and it blends and bubbles just beautifully. I use frozen blueberries in place of fresh (limited supply and high cost in December!). We keep pancake syrup nearby but only the kids seem to want it. Some years the bread I've used has required more egg/milk, which I could tell in the morning after it soaked and seemed too dry. I've used french bread, italian, and plain old wonder bread, it all works. Cinnamon is a useful touch (mix in with the egg/milk). Can't wait to make it again!! The best part is having a special breakfast cooking that requires very little attention while the kiddos open presents!

Reviewed On: Dec. 20, 2010

If you like chocolate covered coffee beans from the gourmet stores, this is for you. I made one batch exactly as described (had decaf hazelnut beans on hand) and my husband loved it, but I thought the texture of whole beans were a little overwhelming when eating. The second batch I coursely ground the beans and added about a teaspoon of decaf instant coffee to make the chocolate itself have a coffee flavor too. Incidentally, I forgot the butter in the second batch and it didn't seem to matter. Melted the white chocolate separately and swirled it in the top as others have mentioned (using a toothpick for marbled effect), and with these changes would give it 5 stars. Another fancy touch is to score the chocolate when it is almost cooled (about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), then you can break it into beautifully even squares (1" is plenty at a time!) A unique treat that is surprisingly easy to throw together. People either LOVE LOVE it, or can't make it through one bite... count me in the first category. Fabulous next to a powerful red wine or a strong cup of after-dinner coffee. POW!

Reviewed On: Jan. 5, 2008

Whoa... I am not very agile when it comes to yeast doughs. This took some time to do (3+ hours?) but soooo worth it and they do reheat nicely. Followed recipe exactly. Wish I knew where in the process I could stop and put it in the fridge so piping fresh rolls wouldn't take quite so long in the AM. May try a little less cream cheese in the icing next time, but it wasn't bad by any means, just my preference for a more neutral flavor. These would make a fabulous hostess gift or xmas baked gift... makes most people stand up and say, "WOW!"

Reviewed On: Jan. 5, 2008