Puff Pastry Chocolate Croissants
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Puff pastry chocolate croissants are an easier version of classic petit pain au chocolat. Light, flaky puff pastry is filled with bittersweet chocolate “batons” or sticks. They are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon treat with tea or coffee.
The French really do breakfast quite differently from the British and Americans. While we tend to favor protein heavy breakfasts of eggs, sausage or bacon, and toast, Parisians are content with a strong cup of coffee and a simple buttery croissant, or even better, a warm chocolate croissant. Every once in a while, especially when one of the girls has a friend stay the night or weekend, I’ll make something a little more special that usual. These easy puff pastry chocolate croissants take a short cut with pre-made puff pastry dough.
How to make chocolate sticks or batons.
While chocolate batons are readily available online, or through commercial bakery suppliers, they are not readily available to the public. So, here are two options. The first is to make your own batons.
- Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler.
- Spread melted chocolate over parchment paper with an offset spatula.
- Chill until firm enough to run a knife through, but not hard enough to crack.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, into 3” by 1/2″ sticks.
The second option is to cut a high-quality chocolate bar into 3″ by 12″ sticks.
What kind of chocolate is best for
This is a personal preference. We have tried them with dark chocolate, bittersweet, and milk chocolate, with everyone having a favorite. My husband prefers the less sweet, dark chocolate, while I prefer bittersweet, and my youngest prefers milk chocolate. Use your favorite good quality chocolate or better yet, make a few of each and everyone can choose their choice of chocolate.
Ingredients for puff pastry chocolate croissants
This recipe uses store-bought puff pastry sheets instead of traditional croissant dough. Make flaky croissants at home with minimal effort!
- One package puff pastry thawed. It should be easy to roll, but not soft and doughy
- 24 batons of chocolate or your favorite chocolate bars cut into 3″ x 1/2″ sticks
- 1 egg slightly beaten
How to make homemade chocolate croissants
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll thawed puff pastry out slightly, the rolled out sheet of puff pastry should have natural creases, for 6 pastries per sheet. Here is a traditional French Rolling Pin.
- Place the chocolate pieces on each end of the dough rectangle.
- Roll the ends towards the center.
- Make an egg wash by beating a whole egg with one tablespoon of water.
- Brush seam with a little egg wash and place the croissants, seam side down on cookie tray lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Repeat with remaining pastry. Brush tops with the egg wash.
- Bake at 425 degrees F. for 13-15 minutes, or until pastries are deep golden brown.
- Cool. Serve warm or room temperature. Store leftover croissants in an airtight container.
Freezing unbaked chocolate croissants
To freeze unbaked chocolate croissants, freeze in a single layer on a baking tray. Once they are frozen, transfer to an air tight freezer bag or container. To bake, follow directions above, adding 5-7 minutes to baking time, or until golden brown.
Looking for more breakfast ideas?
Blintz Souffle Breakfast Casserole
Puff Pastry Chocolate Croissants
Ingredients
- One package puff pastry thawed, so that it’s easy to work with, but not soft and doughy
- 24 batons of chocolate or your favorite chocolate bars cut into 3″ x 1/2″ sticks
- 1 egg slightly beaten
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Roll thawed puff pastry out slightly, the rolled out pastry should have natural creases, for 6 pastries per sheet.
- Place one stick of chocolate on each end and roll toward middle.
- Brush seam with beaten egg and place, seam-side down on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry. Brush tops with beaten egg.
- Bake at 425 degrees F. for 13-15 minutes, or until pastries are deep golden brown.
- Cool. Serve warm or room temperature. Store leftover pain au chocolat in an airtight container.
I must be the meanest mother around, as my kids are too scared to eat something I have without asking! Glad you found an alternative, but Sophie got the best chocolate in the end! haha! You’ll have to come shopping with me next time! 🙂
Please don’t buy trader joes milk chocolate… calebaut is much better and if you get it to room temperature or slightly heated knife you can actually cut it quite nicely…milk anyway. The 3.5 pound batons you can use almost anywhere.. and there’s less in it that you think.
I agree with you…If you read the post, I HAD Callebaut and was able to make some of them with it, until my daughter ate the remaining batons. Since I was pressed for time, I had to make do. I also wanted to give an option to those who might not want to order 3.5 pounds of batons online for one recipe.
Yum, I will have to try and make these sometime! Whenever I go to a local festival, I always stop by the bakery booths to pick one up if they have them!
sounds good! I never see them outside of pastry shops