Pecan Stuffed French Toast

This stuff is AMAZING.  We ate it for dinner, but it would be great for a nice weekend or holiday breakfast. You could easily leave the pecans out, but don't skimp on the syrup. Even if there is apricot jam in it!  I found this one on Real Mom Kitchen. (can you tell that is one of my favorite recipe sites?)

Filling: 
1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Toast:
14 pieces of Texas toast
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
butter (about 4 Tbsp)

Syrup:
1 cup Smucker’s Apricot preserves
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix together cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in chopped pecans. Spread on one side of 7 slices of Texas toast a spoonful of the filling mixture. Top with remaining 7 slices of Texas toast. (I did this the night before and put the sandwiches in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator. Then I took the bread out of the fridge while I prepared the syrup and made the egg mixture.)

At this point make your syrup. Combine the syrup ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The syrup will thicken up while it cools. You want it to cool for about 15 minutes.

Mix your egg, milk, and vanilla together.

Preheat the oven to 400F . Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place in oven to warm up. Melt 1/2 tbsp or so of butter in a frying pan. Take the sandwiches, one by one, and place in the egg and milk mixture, turning so that the mixture covers both sides. Transfer the sandwich to the pan and cook until the first side is lightly brown. Flip over and cook the other side. When both sides are lightly brown, place the sandwich on the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.

Serve with the Almond Citrus Syrup or regular syrup.