Easy Ham and Cheese Croissants

I’ve got 30 solid minutes of your weekend planned out for you with this croissant recipe. You’ll be standing in the kitchen, but I promise it won’t be for  long. So pour a cup of coffee – that’ll help with everything and in no time you’ll be pulling out bakery-quality ham and cheese croissants from the oven.

I’m trying to be as humble as I can here but this is a weekend life hack that deserves all the hype. This easy ham and cheese croissant recipe is fool-proof (though we’re no dummies) and incredibly tasty fresh out of the oven.

If you picked up my last holiday magazine, you may recognize this technique from the Overnight Almond Croissant recipe I had you make for Christmas morning.  Let this be your invitation to fill your puff pastry squares with anything you like – sweet or savory.  Wait… were you here in 2009 when I made these Chocolate Croissants in 30 minutes flat?  Yep, we’re still at it.

Here is your criminally easy weekend recipe for ham and cheese croissants.

If you like those warm Starbucks Ham and Cheese Croissants, you’re going to love this super easy recipe you can whip up in 30 minutes at home.

What you’ll need to make these easy ham and cheese croissants:

• two sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
• whole grain or dijon mustard
• shredded gruyere cheese though you could absolutely substitute swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, or oh… gouda!
• sliced ham (or any deli meat you prefer)
• one beaten egg for egg wash
• sesame seeds (optional but a very nice addition)

Puff pastry is going to bring ALL the magic here.  We’re just here to fill that magic with ham and cheese, ya feel?

A super easy roadmap to working with store-bought puff pastry.

• Allow puff pastry to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  If you don’t have that long – leave it at room temperature for an hour and then place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours until it’s thawed but still chilled.  Working with frozen puff pastry just isn’t ideal, so give it some time to soften.
• Unfold thawed (but chilled) puff pastry on a lightly floured board or counter.  It will warm as you work with it and the flour will keep it from sticking to your work surface.
• Square pieces of puff pastry unfold in thirds, which is perfect for making 9 croissant squares. Work with the natural seams.
• Work with one piece at a time, leaving the second piece to stay chilled in the refrigerator until its time to use it.

To assemble these ham and cheese croissants:

First, gather your ingredients. Then unfold the puff pastry and brush lightly with egg wash. Next, place 9 dollops of whole grain mustard onto the first sheet – 3 dollops in each of the 3 columns of dough.  We’re creating a roadmap for our ham and cheese croissants. Then, sprinkle each dollop of mustard with a good pinch of your preferred cheese.

Depending on how large your slices of ham are, you might want to cut them in half.  Once cut, give them a little fold and gently press them on top of the mustard and cheese situation.

Next, grab the second piece of puff pastry from the refrigerator and gently unfold. If you get any tears along the seams, you can simply press the two pieces back together with your fingers.

Drape it over the ham, cheese, and mustard so it’s as flush as possible with the bottom piece of puff pastry. Starting from the center croissant square, gently press around the filling, removing as much air as possible and sealing each square.

Slice into 9 equal squares, placing on a baking sheet and put back in to the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Space the squares so they have a few inches between each ham and cheese croissant.

Once your oven has preheated, remove the tray from the refrigerator and brush each ham and cheese croissant square lightly with egg was and a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you’re feeling fancy.  I know what you’re thinking:

Can this ham and cheese croissant recipe be frozen?

Short Answer: Absolutely yes.

Long Answer: You have two options if you’d like to freeze these croissant squares.

Pre-baked – Freeze the squares just after they’re filled and assembled (but not egg washed).  To bake, preheat the oven, remove the squares from the freezer, place on a parchment lined baking sheet to egg wash and bake.  The croissants will take an additional 5-7 minutes in the oven.

Post-baked – If you’d like to freeze the croissants after they’re baked to golden, place in a freezer safe bag and store for up to 1 month. To enjoy, remove from the freezer and toast gently in a 300 degree F oven until nice and toasty warm, about 12-14 minutes.  Keep an eye on the croissants to ensure they don’t go from brown to burnt.

Bake until magically puffed and deeply golden brown.  Allow to cool for just a few minutes before enjoying, ya know… so you don’t burn yourself on molten ham filling.  Served warm with coffee, can you even believe how easy this ham and cheese croissant recipe is?

Remember that Starbucks Ham and Cheese Croissant I mentioned earlier?  This dupe is so easy and even better.

Other easy brunch recipes you’ll want in your back pocket: 

•  an Elvis-style breakfast moment where more is more: Peanut Butter, Bacon, and Banana French Toast

•  fried tortillas meets scrambled eggs and salsa:   Chilaquilas Frittata Bake

•  these Battered Banana Pancakes are sliced bananas dredged in pancake batter and fried up in butter. Literally everyone loves these!

Easy Ham and Cheese Croissants

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 9
• Category: breakfast, brunch

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Description

The easiest way to warm croissants at home.

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Ingredients

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• 2 sheets from one package of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3–4 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2/3 cup grated gruyere cheeses
• 5 slices of black forest ham, cut in half and folded
• Sesame seeds to top, optional

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Instructions

1. Gently unfold the puff pastry and set one aside. Lightly brush one sheet with egg wash and save the remaining egg wash for the top of the croissants. We’ll make nine square croissants, three from each column of unfolded puff pastry. Smear about a teaspoon of mustard onto each column of pastry, three per column. Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of grated cheese and layer with a folded piece of ham.  Gently drape the second sheet of puff pastry over the first. Use your fingers to firmly press the edges and then the edges around each slice of ham and filling. Try to press out as much air from each square as possible.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut 9 squares.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and refrigerate while the oven preheats.
3. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the pastries from the refrigerator and arrange on the baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
4. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until puffed and golden and bubbling around the edges.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying warm. Croissants are best the morning they’re baked but will last wrapped at room temperature for 2 days. Toast in the oven to refresh.

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Notes

You have two options if you’d like to freeze these squares.  Pre-baked or post-baked.  Freeze the squares just after they’re filled and assembled (but not egg washed).  To bake, preheat the oven, remove the squares from the freezer, place on a parchment lined baking sheet to egg wash and bake.  The croissants will take an additional 5-7 minutes in the oven.

If you’d like to freeze the croissants after they’re baked to golden, place in a freezer safe bag and store for up to 1 month. To enjoy, remove from the freezer and toast gently in a 300 degree F oven until nice and toasty warm, about 12-14 minutes.  Keep an eye on the croissants to ensure they don’t brown to burnt.