Orange Pecan French Toast Casserole

Yum-o! Y'all this is so good!
Recipe is courtesy of my Aunt Kay. I first made this on Christmas morning, but it's so easy you could make it for any occasion...

Orange Pecan French Toast Casserole

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Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind (I use a spice called 'Valencia Orange Peel')
  
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 large eggs
• 12 (1-inch-thick) slices French bread (about 1 pound)

Preparation

Combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup; pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over sugar mixture.

Combine rind and next 7 ingredients (rind through eggs); stir with a whisk. Arrange bread slices over pecans in dish; pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight. This is super easy to do ahead!

Preheat oven to 350°.

Carefully turn bread slices over to absorb excess egg mixture. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

You can serve by itself, ya don't need syrup or anything!