If breakfast in bed is on the menu, heart-shaped and berry-topped French toast is simple to make and special to receive. For extra-fancy presentation, top with a chocolate dipped strawberry.

Ingredients:

6-8 thick slices good-quality day-old bread
3 large eggs
1 cup (250 mL) milk
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) brown sugar
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla
canola oil and/or butter, for cooking
fresh strawberries, sliced, or other fresh berries
icing sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Using a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts out of the slices of bread, discarding the crusts. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar and vanilla.

Set a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and a dab of butter, and as it heats, dip a heart or two into the egg mixture, letting it soak for a minute. When the butter foam subsides, cook the French toast in batches, without crowding the pan, flipping as necessary until it's golden on both sides.

Top your French toast with fresh berries and a dusting of icing sugar. Serves 4.

Per serving (prepared with 1 Tbsp. each oil and butter):

220 calories, 10.8 g fat (3.8 g saturated, 4.7 g monounsaturated, 2.3 g polyunsaturated), 149 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrate, 9 g protein, 1.6 g fibre

I Heart You Cookies Pink Popcorn Valentine’s treats kids can make with Mom or Dad