Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top.

Arrange your strips of bacon in an even layer on the baking rack and bake for 25-30 minutes until well-browned and crispy. Keep an eye on them during the last 5-10 minutes, peeps. They can burn quickly. Remove the bacon from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

While the bacon is cooking, get to work on the caramelized bananas. Slice the bananas at a slight angle, into ½-inch discs. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When melted, stir in the brown sugar and add the bananas to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, shaking the pan periodically, until the bananas are just softened and beginning to caramelize. (You can also use a spatula to periodically flip the bananas if the shake and flip makes you nervous.) Add the bourbon and cook for another 30 seconds or so until the caramel thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Now you’re going to build your French toast, which means making 4 peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. Start by spreading one side of each piece of bread with a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. (If your peanut butter is cold, warm it in the microwave for about 15 seconds so that it’s easily spreadable. You don’t want to rip your bread!)

Top 4 slices of the peanut buttered bread with a layer of bacon. I broke each slice of bacon in half, and then used 3 half slices per sandwich. Close each sandwich with the remaining peanut buttered bread, pressing your fingers along the edges of each sandwich to seal. Briefly set the sandwiches aside while you whip up your custard.

In a large shallow baking dish, whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.

Add the first two sandwiches to the custard, push them down gently to help them absorb the liquid, and let them soak for 1-2 minutes on each side.

Heat 1½ tablespoons butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add the soaked sandwiches to the pan (make sure to shake off any excess custard), and cook for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Repeat the soaking and cooking process (don’t forget to add the remaining 1½ tablespoons butter!) with the second two sandwiches.

Re-warm your caramelized bananas over medium low-heat for about 30 seconds.

Slice your French toast in half diagonally and serve topped with caramelized bananas. Crumble the extra bacon on top and get a drizzle of maple syrup involved if you’re so inclined.