I faked it.
I faked it just a little bit with these croissants.
See, these croissants were hot from the oven and onto my breakfast plate in less than 30 minutes because I used frozen, all-butter puff pastry instead of slaving over homemade croissant dough. Real croissant dough has yeast, a bit of sugar and milk in it. Puff pastry does not have these elements; it’s just flour, salt, water, and more butter than you care to know.
So you see… I didn’t spend the time folding and folding and folding croissant dough, I faked it. I don’t feel one bit of bad. In fact, I feel so good about faking it, here’s a few other things I’ve been known to fake.
I’ve faked a tan with that new and clever gradual tan lotion. Thank you lotion technology.
I’ve faked a smile… when I’m feeling super extra awkward, or when I don’t like your perfume but you’re a friend of the family and I don’t want to be rude, or when I’m being paid to smile. That last one doesn’t really happen… ever.
I’ve been faking being an adult for the last ten years. Sometimes, well… it sure feels like I’m faking it.
Lastly, as discussed above… I fake a dang good chocolate croissant. Here’s what’s what on that!
I hold the strict belief that any breakfast pastry that comes out of my kitchen should take me less than an hour to make. I just don’t have the gusto to slave over a pastry first thing in the morning. That’s where these beauties come in. Grab yourself a package of all-butter puff pastry, some good quality dark chocolate, an egg, a pinch of salt and let’s do this!
Easy Chocolate Croissants
inspired by Nigella Lawson (p.s. You’re super pretty Nigella. Super.)
1 (14 oz) package frozen all-butter puff pastry, left to defrost in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours
1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces, 60% or 70% cocoa solids
1 egg, beaten
a sprinkle of fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Gently unpackage the slightly thawed puff pastry and place on a lightly floured surface. With a light floured rolling pin, gently roll out the puff pastry, extending the dough about 1 inch on all sides. The dough will thaw as you work it. That’s great. Just make sure it isn’t sticking to your work surface too much.
With the pastry sheet horizontal, make three vertical cuts, making four strips of pastry dough. Cut each strip in half horizontally. You’ll have eight medium sized rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half diagonally, creating 16 triangles.
Place each triangle so the wider part is toward you and the point is away from you.
Place small pieces of chocolate about 1/2-inch above the wide part of the triangle.
Carefully roll the chocolate loaded end toward the point, pinching the dough together at the beginning of the roll to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t ooze out during baking. Once rolled, curl the ends toward the center slightly.
Place the 16 small chocolate croissants on a lined but not greased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle each top with just a bit of sea salt if you like a little salt with your chocolate.
Place in 425 degree F oven and immediately turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden, puffed and otherwise irresistible.
{ 101 comments… read them below or add one }
Faking being a grown-up… Now why does that sound familiar again? ^^
Oh yes, I love doing chocolate croissants this way. :D
YAY for faking it! I’m with you on not wanting to slave away in the kitchen for breakfast (much as I love it at any other time of the day…).
And this snow-white skin NEEDS fake tan to not be blinding people. Bring it!
Sounds pretty awesome to me! I’m really getting into baking, and had thought (momentarily) about making croissants from scratch. Then I read how much time is involved. This is much more practical!!! Thanks!
Fake away!! :) Even those of us who vow to never use prepackaged stuff DO! and its creations just like THIS that make it worth it! These chocolate croissants look soooooooooooo good!!!
i know what i’m making this weekend…thanks!
These are totally the perfect weekend treat!
Wohoo! Thanks for sharing this quick recipe…. I looooove croissants but recently discovered how much butter goes into them and I’m slightly traumatized :) I may make these as a special treat one day :)
This is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing. And never feel bad for ‘faking’ it, you do so much from scratch, sometimes you just have to cut corners.
If you can fake making croissants, than I don’t feel that bad about buying pre-made pie crust. (Well, I still feel a little bad…)
These look scrumptious and I want one for breakfast right now!
Have you found an all-butter pre-made pie crust in stores yet?
I may just have to post a pie crust from scratch that is so dang easy you’ll never want to buy store bought again. Impossible? Maybe. We’ll see!
Joy, please do post that dang easy pie crust recipe!!!!!
OMG! Please do that. I made a make-shift pie/cobbler/amazingness thing with store bought crust. I need something easy and buttery! Thanks, girl…your site is super fab!
You know, I have some puff pastry in my freezer right now…
I’ve got some puff pastry in the freezer right now just begging to be turned into these beauties.
Thanks!
this makes me want to go to a bakery in Paris! they look so good!!!!! thank you!!
How did you know? I LOVE chocolate croissants and have been wanting a recipe for so long.
These remind me of cornettos that I’ve had in Italy.
I will definitely try them!!!
I’ll be making these for Saturday breakfast tomorrow. Some coffee, scrambled eggs and sausage rounds will round out the meal nicely. Thanks Joy!
Durfour is the best if you can find it in the freezer section. Making one’s own puff pastry is a labor of love or should I say craziness. It takes forever and you must remember which way to turn it after rolling.
I still fake things all the time.
Yes! Dufour makes great great puff pastry. Much better than me turning and rolling and folding and turning and rolling the real stuff.
Ohhhhh yes. I do love these, but had forgotten how quick they are to make.I’ve remembered now and I know I have some puff pastry in the freezer…
Those look delicious, I love the shortcut! As far as faking it, I sometimes feel like my life is a dream and I’ll wake up as a child again, most often as a high school student or middle school… that would be a nightmare!
Ooh, these would also be good with spinach and feta!
spinach and feta!? heck yes!
Oh, nice typo in my name. Anyway, they would be like spanakopita, but way easier to make with the puff pastry instead of those thin phyllo sheets!
Or smoked salmon and cream cheese! Now I just need to get back home to my kitchen …
sometimes you just have to fake it… and there is nothing wrong with it! :D
Oh My!
thank you, I think I can actually do this-LOL
you can totally do it!
We all fake something every now and then. If it’s for a good cause, or reason, oh well, it can be forgiven, no?!
There are some very good frozen puff pastries out there. Totally good.
And… I recall your post to a future husband and kids, well, you will have to compromise in the kitchen when you’re a mom and a wife, so better get used to it ‘cos you won’t have much of a choice when this happens.
I will def make these.
But pie crusts are doable as a mommy, though.
“I’ve been faking being an adult for the last ten years.”
SO TRUE (for me, I mean, not you). I’ve been a fake college instructor, fake consultant, fake film festival programmer, fake house-owner…. I’m a stuttery, gangly dork! Don’t people see this? But I’m a fantastic actress, I guess, because no one’s caught on and people keep giving me more adult things to do. That’s an interesting way to look at the world, though: how many people that you meet every day are just teenage dorks with a good mask on? ;-)
And yeah, these fake croissants look ridiculously good. I especially love that you used dark chocolate.
We don’t care if it’s faked, as long as it’s good. That’s the plan, right?
Wow! These look awesome!!
I’m not faking that enthusiasm one bit.
Love it and these are pretty darn gorgeous chocolate croissants, whatever their origin. I hope that means that those of us who fake being grown up can have extra ones to stuff into our mouths?
This is tomorrows wake up call! Not going to tell the family, just get up and make them, hopefully I am awake before everyone else or I will be eating these alone, which could be ok. :)
These are so cute! What an easy way to make such a delicious treat! I have to try this! It’s a great idea for a brunch when you’re trying to get a bunch of things together at once.
Yummy!!!
What a good idea! I have some puff pastry in the freezer and I think I’ll be using it to make these! Yummy!
Awesome. I also have a major crush on Nigella Lawson. Homegirl is sensual!
Mmmm MMMM!! I LOVE FAKING IT (In this case any ways;P) I actually just made a ‘fake’ berry strudel with cream cheese using all butter puff pastry this morning! (and i didn’t feel and ounce guilty either:) In fact, having a warm strudel breakfast served (in 30 minutes) to my husband and kids was wonderful! – But OH those croissants looked incredible- Thats what I’m making next time!
Thanks JOY!
These look simple and easy! I need to try them one day :)
Since the lovely French Patisserie near my home closed several months ago, I’ve been dying for a good chocolate croissant. Thanks, Joy, for sharing this idea! I know it won’t be quite the same…but then, it will be fresh out of the oven and is SO easy. I look forward to surprising the family with them tomorrow morning!
I made croissant dough in pastry class today. I would hardly call it slaving. Most of that time involved is inactive! Same holds true for actual puff pastry. Don’t perpetuate the silly laminated dough myths.
I think I’m mostly perpetuating my own opinions on making puff pastry and croissant dough. It’s all the folding and turning and rolling and turning and folding, and waiting, that I find to be an impossible chore in my warm kitchen. That’s all. Plus, there are some really good puff products out there that save me the time. Thank heavens for that!
Oooh yummy… I will have to make & for a finishing touch some chocolate drizzle! Thanks for the inspiration!
Absolutely ingenious! I am very impressed by this idea! I love me a breakfast pastry, thanks for the tip Joy! :)
Joy. I am ‘faking’ being happy that you posted this recipe! There goes my diet! LOL
love it. i might have to make these this weekend. and i also agree that nigella is super pretty!
Amazing! I too would love an pie crust recipe – i just can’t seem to roll them out well :(
I’ll get on that next week! We’ll be makin’ pies this Fall!
Joy, like so many others, I’m on a diet.:(
Tomorrow is my cheat day so I’ll be cheating on my diet and cheating with this yummy fake croissant recipe.:) Thanks!!!!
As a college student in a crammed in one-bedroom and cooking (really, really cooking and LOVING it!) for the first time, I’ve spent far too much time drooling over recipes I’ll never be able to replicate in my own tragically under-stocked and under-equipped kitchenette. Thank you, THANK YOU for such an easy and delicious recipe! All I need is that frozen puff pastry (I’m already so there on that dark chocolate!!) and I’ll have me some DELICIOUS chocolate croissants — dream come true!!
Success! I’m so glad you can work this recipe out in your tiny space! Do it, and enjoy the gorgeous smells coming out of your kitchen. Rad!
you gave me a great idea for my kid for a afternoon snack.
Regards
Olga.
photos yummy! delicious..i love chocolate :D
Joy, these look delicious… I think my dorm-mates will be very appreciative if I make them the first day of school! What kind of chocolate do you use, and where do you get it? I’m having some difficulty finding quality chocolate in my grocery store.
I often use Scharffen Berger Chocolate which I buy often buy online, because I’m not super impressed with the grocery store selections.
i saw nigella make these on her show. at the time, i thought i really want to make those, but then i kinda sorta forgot about them. thank you for pleasant reminder.
Have you ever used Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate? Think that would work? Sure looks easy enough.
How about putting white chocolate and nutella inside. Also, yummy!!!!!
Have you tried the frozen chocolate croissants from Trader Joe’s?? You set them out over night and the defrost, proof and then you pop them in the oven in the morning. They are amazing and simple as well….
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