Description

The easiest way to warm croissants at home.

Ingredients

Scale

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

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.