I love chocolate croissants.
Specifically because it reminds me of one of my first dates with <3M.
It was a winter afternoon in Rochester when we decided to head to a coffeeshop for a mid-day treat. The two of us were placing our coffee requests when he mentioned that he wanted a bite and ordered a large, golden, croissant with a thin drizzle of melted chocolate on top.
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A chocolate croissant, I thought? I had never had one and was excited to try! To be perfectly honest, at this point in time my extent of croissant tasting was limited to those from the local grocer’s bakery and of the famous Croissan’wich from Burger King. (Classy, right?)
That day, as he still does, <3M shared the croissant with me.
Upon first taste, I loved it!
How could I not have loved it? With its buttery, paper-thin layers and fresh baked taste. The way it flaked as I bit into it with its signature drizzle, hinting at the chocolate hidden inside! Then finally enjoying the thick, creamy chocolate center and savory, airy croissant all in one bite. It was perfect.
Is it strange that I remember my first taste of a chocolate croissant?
I think it’s so engrained in my mind because it evokes those first memories of mine and <3M’s story. And now, each time I share a chocolate croissant with <3M, those wonderful memories come back.
Although I love chocolate croissants, I have not yet mastered the technique at home. I blame this on the fact that croissants require me to work with my one kitchen kryptonite – yeast.
For some reason, this delicate little fungus (yup, it’s a fungus – check it out) never wants to cooperate with me. It’s a rather fussy little creature and I don’t always have time to fuss and pamper yeast in order to get it to behave properly.
I understand how yeast works — you give it a warm, wet place, a little sweet sugar love and plenty room to rest and boom you have the start of a carb-y, delicious, heavenly bread product that everyone enjoys – or in my case, the start of a chocolate croissant.
Unfortunately, a lovely chocolate croissant not only involves yeast but also a lot of time. Lots of time spent folding and waiting…and folding and waiting…
This folding and waiting part is most definitely necessary in order to create those delicate, buttery layers that make a croissant a croissant.
I’ve made them once and three days later, I welcomed warm, un-risen croissants out of the oven.
Oh to my joy that morning when <3M and I were able to delight in buttery DOUGHY, raw-tasting croissants. M<3 knowing how hard I worked, ate them anyways.
Luckily, if you don’t like fussing with yeast or have three days available to tend to croissant dough, I have a little cheat that will get you your mid-morning chocolate croissant in minutes so you can quickly get to enjoying it while savoring a cup of coffee and a good book.
With the help of a little dough boy, here’s my easy cheat to decadent chocolate croissants in minutes!
I’ve also included some quick photo instructions, as I realize cutting croissant triangles can get a bit complicated!
- 1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, for drizzling
- flour, for rolling
- Preheat your oven to 375* and line a baking sheet with parchament paper or a silicon baking mat
- Flour your counter top with a light dusting of flour
- Press the eight cut triangles of the crescent dough into a single, large ball of dough
- With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, about 10 inches by 8 inches
- Now it's time to mark the dough to form the signature croissant triangles
- On the long, 10 inch side of the rectangle, measure 5 inches in from the left and place a tiny dent in the dough to mark the spot
- On the opposite 10 inch edge of where you placed your 5 inch mark, measure in 2.5 inches from the left and then from the right side, measure another 2.5 inches in, gently marking the spot
- Now you are ready to cut the triangles
- From left side of the rectangle where you made the 5 inch mark, cut a straight line to the first 2.5 inch mark at the top of the triangle and then back down to the 5 inch mark at the bottom of the rectangle
- Repeat this same triangular cut again by starting at the 5 inch mark, cutting up to the 2.5 inch mark on the right side of the dough and then back down again to the far right corner
- Once your cuts are complete, you should have 3 large triangles with two smaller triangular scrap pieces. (Move the scrap pieces to the side for bake up later as a cook's treat!)
- Place 1.5 tablespoons of the semi-sweet chocolate chips on the wide edge of each of the triangles
- Now begin rolling the dough onto it self by starting at the wide end and rolling to the shorter end
- You may need to nestle the wraps the chocolate chips into the dough some, like covering them with a blanket so they roll properly
- Once rolled, pinch the ends gently closed so the chocolate won't melt out while baking
- Place the croissants on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes until golden.
- While baking, prepare the chocolate drizzle by melting the dark chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring well between each interval
- It should take a minute or less for the chocolate to melt if you stir consistently
- When the croissants are finished baking, remove them from the tray to cool slightly
- While the croissants are cooling but still warm, place the melted dark chocolate into a pastry bag (or Zip-Loc bag) and snip a tiny hole at the edge of the bag and quickly drizzle the chocolate over the warm croissants
- Serve immediately
