Baked cinnamon Toast

A breakfast treat made the Pioneer Woman's way

Did you know artisan toast is a Thing? I'm going to San Francisco with my family next fall, and there's a place where you can get fancy shmancy cinnamon toast for like $4. I'm all for trying something new, and maybe this is some mind-blowing toast (I'll report back if I try it). Until then, I'll make my cinnamon toast at home on the cheap, and I'll do it the Pioneer Woman's way. 

She might be a super rich rancher's wife with two houses with two jaw-dropping kitchens (and two basset hounds — jealous!), but I like that Ree Drummond keeps it real in the kitchen. She takes shortcuts. She tells you that store-bought chicken stock is fine. She's on the same page as me when it comes to butter and doesn't apologize for it. And she taught me how to make cinnamon toast the right way.

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CINNAMON TOAST
4 slices, feeds 2

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
4 slices of bread (I used honey whole wheat)
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup butter, softened completely
1/4 cup sugar (I used less actually — you can always add more!)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla 
pinch of nutmeg

WHAT YOU'LL DO: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Smush together butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg until a smooth paste forms and everything is combined completely. Spread the mixture on 4 slices of bread, covering each slice all the way to the edges. Place bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling (watch it so it doesn't burn!). Remove from oven and inhale. 

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I actually made this for the first time last weekend. It was Sunday morning, I didn't want boring old weekday cereal, but I also didn't want to do a ton of work in the kitchen. This toast was the perfect solution. As long as you already have softened butter (just leave a stick out overnight), it comes together in no-time. And the 10 minutes baking is just enough time to get coffee made and those few dishes done. Methinks I've found a new weekend morning go-to!