You need just 5 factor to make this irresistible crunchy treat ! 🥐
Lexi Harrison
“ Were your eyes bigger than your stomach?”This was a common question my parent would necessitate at the dinner party table when I was a kidskin . It sure enough was n’t a rarified occasion for me to mob my plate gamy after sports practice , then not quite be able-bodied to finish up it all .
Credit:Lexi Harrison
Now that I ’ve made it to my 30s , I ’ve become more visceral and better able-bodied to estimate the appropriate portion for meal , but when it comes to desserts andfreshly - baked bread , I ’m back to being a child again .
As much as I seek to limitfood dissipation , I love a laminated pastry dough as much as I love a deal . So when my local coffee shop pop the question a discount for choosing a 6 - pack over a exclusive , you better believe I ’m opting for the half XII . And when I ’m gather some turkey gild orchicken saladsandwiches for a potluck , I snag Costco ’s Kirkland Signature Butter Croissants . For $ 5.99 for 12 , it ’s tough to find a better deal .
All of those multipacks often leave me with more than I can polish off before they start to go stale . But rather than cast away them or adding them to thecompost bin , I ’ve take to repurposing them into something new . To day of the month , I ’ve made croissant croutons ( breathe in by ourBeef Bourguignon Pot Pie ) , blitzed them intobread crumbs , and baked them into a riff onmonkey bread .
Recently , while scroll through Instagram , I discovered another brilliant leftover croissant hack that I knew I had to put through the paces : croissant brittle .
What Is Croissant Brittle?
I in the first place spotted croissant brittle on a A-one - popular ( and ace - alluring ) Instagram Reel on the @crowded_kitchenaccount . go by mother - daughter duo Beth Sinclair and Lexi Harrison , their website Crowded Kitchen foretell to offer “ soft , approachable recipes”—and this is precisely that .
The idea for croissant brittle is something they pronto admit they did n’t dream up on their own : “ Croissant toffee was invent by Sea Wolf Bakery in Seattle , ” they explain in the caption . With that in judgement , I called up Sea Wolf Bakery to get the backstory about this originative brittle concept .
“ We started making croissant brittle in August 2017 . It was indeed an ‘ original estimation , ’ in that I did not recognise of anyone making croissant brittle at the time , ” excuse Kit Schumann , co - proprietor of Oxbow and Sea Wolf bakehouse in Seattle , Washington . “ We center solely on bread and croissants when we first open , but had a slew of asking for cookies andtwice - baked croissantsin the first few weeks of business . Since I have always been a small bit of a brash Captain James Cook , I figured that we could either satisfy both needs with one item or make something fresh and interesting that was n’t at all what multitude were asking for . ”
The result is something that Harrison and Sinclair describe in their Emily Post as an “ extremely addictive formula ” that is “ as delicious as it vocalise . It ’s crispy , caramelized , and the perfect consumption for day - old croissants ! ”
To make it , slit stale crescent roll into plank , sop them in sweetened milk , kind of like you might forFrench goner . Here ’s the plot crook : You ’ll then broil the custard - soaked croissant pieces between twosheet pansuntil they ’re crispy and caramel in colour . While they ’re still warm , dust them with lettuce or cinnamon simoleons , allow to cool , then enjoy or come apart into diminished part for a play oncroissant cereal . ( think back thatfood trend ? ! )
Sure , you could add several more elements to bed on more flavor . However , if you enquire Schumann , “ some things truly benefit from additional ingredient , but most things are well enjoyed simply . ”
How to Make Croissant Brittle
To make croissant toffy at habitation , I follow the jumper lead of Harrison and Sinclair using theirCinnamon - Sugar Croissant Brittlerecipe as a usher , sparge in pro tips from Sea Wolf .
After preheating my oven to 300˚ F ( a temp Schumann check is correct ) , I lined a sheet pan with oiled parchment paper .
To make the custard , I added milk , sugar , a Ceylon cinnamon joint , a pinch of salt , and a splattering ofvanilla extractto a saucepan . I cooked this , stirring occasionally , over medium - low heat until the loot dissolved . At that spot , I poured this into a shallow bowl and let it cool while I turned to the star : those stale crescent roll .
Test Kitchen Tip : Keep your solar day - old croissant in the fridge until you ’re ready to make brickly so they ’re loose to slice .
Using a serrated tongue , I trim back each croissant into about 3 to 4 plank , aim for ⅓-inch thickheaded slices or so . ( Save the excess for bread so-and-so or snacking while you bake . )
Then it was prison term to quickly dip the croissant slices in the sweetened milk . meter is of the essence , Sinclair and Harrison say : “ You do n’t want the crescent roll to be mushy , just moist . If you soak for too long , use your hand to softly squeeze excess moisture out of the crescent roll . ”
I let the extra Milk River drip off , then popped them on the prepared rag pan about 1 ½ in apart . At this point , all that was left to do was add another stratum of petroleum - sprayed parchment paper , place another sheet pan on top to press the croissants , and bake for about 15 minutes . Per Schumann ’s coaching , at this peak , I polish off the top cooking pan and parchment paper , and baked the brittle for about 25 minutes more until it pass a “ deep , rich , and almost red - caramel color . ”
After remove the pan from the oven and while the brittle is still tender , I sprinkled both sides of each piece of brittle with cinnamon sugar .
What Does Croissant Brittle Taste Like?
The result was , just as commenters teased , “ scrumptious ! ” The little xerotes of the daylight - honest-to-god croissants was in reality an asset to hook up just enough of that cinnamon - vanilla custard , and the result was reminiscent of a slightly wooden-headed and more dense Cinnamon Toast Crunch . It ’s heartily spiced , delightfully sweet , and retains that larder and rich timber that ’s so particular about enriched doughs like croissant and brioche .
I ’m hearing rumblings that “ compaction ” is going to be a major food for thought trend for 2025 , and I extremely recommend that you try homemade croissant brittle to get a saltation on the craze .
Tips for Making Croissant Brittle
If ( hopefully when ) you strain this remnant croissant hack , Schumann , Sinclair , Harrison , and our TeamBHGhave a few tricks and variation to consider .
