30 Minute Puff Pastry Chocolate Croissants Recipe (pain au chocolate)
Combine puff pastry with chocolate and Oh! the pleasure of flaky warm golden brown chocolate croissants in the morning. This recipe is incredibly simple and nobody will suspect you didn’t spend hours creating these scrumptious light and airy puff pastry chocolate croissants.
You should also try these simple small-batch cream puffs and my almost from scratch cherry turnovers.
The secret to these croissants (pain au chocolate) is the store-bought puff pastry.
This is not a purist recipe, it’s one that will give you the perfect taste of buttery chocolate croissant without the time and effort of creating the laminated dough from scratch.
In this post I show you how to make chocolate croissants with puff pastry in a few simple steps. This easy homemade pastry recipe works because it hits the mark with flavor and simplicity.
I love using pre-made dough to create easy and elegant desserts and breakfast treats. If you prefer a fruit base here is my recipe for Cherry Turnovers and my extra-easy Cinnamon Rolls.
For something easy from scratch, you should try this simple Cream Puffs recipe.
Why this recipe works:
- Made with only 3 simple ingredients, the easy puff pastry croissant recipe takes minutes to prepare and cook.
- No need to make your own pastry or croissant dough, for ease I use a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry.
- Make as few or as many croissants as you want with this easy puff pastry recipe.
✔ Main Ingredients Notes
Full ingredient list, with quantities and instructions, are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Pastry: A store bought frozen puff pastry should be in every quasi-bakers freezer. Try different brands to see which one you prefer. I’ve had great luck with Pepperidge Farm puff pastry which is also easily available in your local grocery store. I have no affiliation with them, I just really like their product.
- Fudge Sauce: I always seem to go back to Hershey hot fudge sauce, it melts well and has a nice chocolate flavor.
- Butter: I use whichever butter I have handy, usually salted butter. The butter is used to brush the tops of the croissants but you can omit this step.
Ingredient Variations
- Sprinkle in mini chocolate chips on top of a thinner layer of hot fudge sauce.
- Use Hershey or Cadbury chocolate bar squares instead of the fudge sauce.
- Add some spice by sprinkling a pinch of ground cinnamon over the chocolate.
- For a tasty almond croissant, use almond paste instead of chocolate.
✎ How to Make Make Croissants With Puff Pastry
Step One: Thaw one sheet of puff pastry per package instructions, usually about 30-40 minutes. It should be thawed enough to easily unfold, but not warm. Unfold the pastry sheet onto a lightly floured pastry surface or parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out to about an 8 x 12 rectangle.
Step Two: Use a pastry cutter to cut into 4 triangles.
Spread the chocolate on each triangle, leaving about 1-inch from the sides.
Step Three: Roll the puff pastry to form a crescent shape. Start at the larger end and using your fingers to roll up to the tip.
Transfer rolled croissants on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet with croissants in refrigerator while the oven is preheating.
Step Four:Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Step Five: Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate on top of the croissants. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Sydney’s Recipe Notes
- Use the pastry cold, straight from the fridge and work quickly. That way you don’t need to chill the croissants again before baking.
- You can substitute chocolate candy bar squares for the filling.
- Portion the puff pastry sheet into pre-cut triangles, then freeze in an airtight container with a sheet of baking parchment between each layer. This allows you remove enough pastry triangles to make as many croissants as you wish. You only want one, then only remove one triangle of pastry and defrost.
Serving suggestion
These easy chocolate croissants make a great breakfast or brunch treat. I like to serve these puff pastry chocolate croissants straight from the oven with my favorite cup of tea or coffee. A drizzle of melted chocolate over the top is also an option!
Helpful tools for this recipe
You don’t need much but these simple tools are nice to have. The affiliate links below will take you to Amazon.com
- Baking Sheet: These quarter sheet pans fit perfectly in my counter top oven.
- Squeeze bottles: Great little 4-ounce bottles are handy to use for drizzling chocolates and icings.
- Rolling pin: A small french rolling pin is just right for rolling out puff pastry dough.
How to store leftovers
Once cooked and cooled, store leftover croissants in an airtight container on the counter top for 1-2 days.
？Frequently Asked Questions
They are the same, both refer to a pastry filled with chocolate. Basically, pain au chocolat in French translates to chocolate croissant in English.
Yes puff pastry works perfectly well for a quick and easy chocolate croissant. It may not be traditional but it will give you great results.
The puff pastry does not contain yeast like croissant dough. For some, the absence of yeast makes the puff pastry a more desirable option.
When you compare recipes for homemade puff pastry and croissant dough you see that they are both laminated dough that uses similar folding techniques. The video below is a great resource for those who what to try their hand at croissant dough from scratch.
This is quick and easy recipe and I use ready rolled cold pastry straight from the refrigerator. Work quickly, roll the croissants up, pop them into the oven and they should be ok. However, if you think the pastry has been out of the refrigerator too long and has started to soften, pop the croissants into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill then bake when you are ready.
More ways to use puff pastry
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Puff Pastry Chocolate Croissants
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 6 tablespoon hot fudge sauce
- 1 teaspoon butter melted
Instructions
- Thaw one sheet of puff pastry per package instructions, usually about 30-40 minutes. It should be thawed enough to easily unfold, but not warm.
- Unfold the pastry sheet onto a lightly floured pastry board or parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out to about an 8 x 12 rectangle.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut into 4 rectangles.
- Spread the chocolate on each rectangle, leave about 1-inch from the sides. Reserve some of the chocolate for drizzling on the baked croissants.
- Roll the puff pastry to form a crescent shape. Start at the larger end and using your fingers to roll up to the tip. s
- Transfer rolled croissants, tip side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly brush the top of the croisants with melted butter. Place baking sheet with croissants in refrigerator while the oven is preheating.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Heatt he remaining chocoalte in microvave just enough to soften. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate on top of the croissants.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.