Cranberry Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place butter into an 8-x-8-inch baking dish. Place butter inside and put into the oven until melted. Remove from the oven and make sure the baking dish is evenly coated with the butter. Set aside.

Remove the cinnamon rolls from the tube and cut each roll into 8 pieces. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pinch of salt, vanilla and cinnamon.

Fill baking dish with half of the cinnamon roll pieces. Cover with half of the fresh cranberries and pour 1/3 of the egg liquid on top. Cover with the remaining cinnamon roll pieces and cranberries and pour the remaining egg liquid over the top. Sprinkle with the pecans and grate the zest of 1 lemon over the bake, optional. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes (if the bake browns too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil for the remaining 5-10 minutes).

Meanwhile, combine the water, sugar, and cranberries in a small saucepan to prepare the syrup/sauce. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes if you prefer syrup or for 15-20 minutes for cranberry sauce.

When the casserole has finished baking, remove from the oven and immediately spread icing (if using) over the top. Cut into pieces and serve with warm cranberry syrup/sauce. Enjoy!