Somehow, despite the fact that we already have so much going on and we have a toddler, Gerrit and I seem to be adding more things to our lives right now. I know…it doesn’t make sense. But at the same time, it makes perfect sense. So much of our lives right now revolves around Evelyn, which is great and wonderful and joyful, but leaves a bit to be desired when we’ve had the same conversation about nap time and cabinet latches for the thousandth time (note to self: add researching a new baby gate to the to-do list) and I’ve listened to Wheels on the Bus ten times in a day.
So Gerrit and I have been doing some different things that involve different people and actual conversations and no children present. One of the things we’ve somehow signed up to do is to teach the High School Sunday School class at our church. They put out the call for volunteers over the summer and when no one signed up…and then weeks passed and still no one signed up…Gerrit and I looked at each other and said “Maybe we should do this?”
The cool thing is that we’ve known some of these kids for awhile. Some of them were our campers when we met working as counselors at summer camp. It’s a small group, but they are some awesome people.
All this to say, teaching Sunday School has had me revisiting some of my favorite breakfast treat recipes. I’ve been baking something for them each week (minus the weeks we’ve decided to just stop and get donuts), and so far I think these mini chocolate croissants have been the most popular. So much so that I can’t believe I kind of forgot about them for awhile. But they’re so worth having in your arsenal for a brunch treat: they are so simple to make, require only 3 ingredients really (if you don’t count the flour you sprinkle on your counter), and are so buttery and sweet and flaky that despite doubling the recipe and only having about 5 total people a few weeks ago, every single one of these was gone by the end of class.
Mini Chocolate Croissants
Makes 16 mini croissants
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (overnight in the refrigerator)
- Flour, for dusting
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dust work surface lightly with flour and lay out one sheet of puff pastry, vertically. Cut the puff pastry in half, width-wise (so if your folds are lined up vertically, you’ll cut across them horizontally).
- Using a kitchen ruler, make indentations on both the base and the top of the puff pastry at two and 1/4 inch intervals. Using these indentations as guides, cut the puff pastry into 8 long triangles (each one will have a two and 1/4 inch inch base). Repeat with the second half sheet of pastry.
- Place several chocolate chips just above the base of each triangle. Fold the base of the pastry over the chocolate chips and continue to roll it into a crescent roll. Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate.
- Place croissants on baking sheet, seam-side down, and place the pan in the refrigerator, until the dough firms up again, just for a few minutes (although if you really really want to, you can put them straight in the oven). If needed, they can be stored for up to a day before they are baked, and in this case it is best to cover them in plastic wrap.
- Just before baking, remove croissants from refrigerator, brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle lightly with sugar if you’d like to.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the pastries are light golden brown on top.