Homemade Chocolate Croissants is one of my family’s favorite sweet treats. This chocolate Croissant Recipe (Pain au Chocolat) makes a flaky, buttery treat that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, and snacks.
Chocolate Croissant Recipe
When we went to France, the food we ate was excellent, and I wish I could recreate everything we ate there. Every hotel we stayed at had a breakfast spread filled with pastries, fresh fruit, meats, and many other freshly made breakfast items.
While everything was excellent and delicious, a pastry was my favorite thing to eat each morning with a cup of coffee. It was the best way to start our day for me, and ever since that trip, I have wanted to enjoy something at home, so I set to work finding a way to make some of my favorites.
My favorite pastry in France was croissants, specifically the chocolate croissants (called Pain au Chocolat in France), so my first try to make pastry was the chocolate croissants. While I was nervous at first I am so glad that I took the jump to figure out how to make chocolate croissants and now we can enjoy them just about whenever we want to. I think your family is going to love this Chocolate Croissant Recipe as much as mine does.
They are not exactly the same as the ones we got from the hotel and local bakery when we were in France, but they will do for now when a craving strikes until we can take a trip and get the real thing.
Breakfast Recipes
What is a Croissant?
A croissant is a buttery, flaky pastry that sometimes has fillings and other times does not. It is made from leavened dough that is layered with butter, rolled, and folded several times to make many layers of dough that create the light and airy texture they are known for.
Tips for Making This Chocolate Croissant Recipe
Use European all purpose flour. American flour will work for this recipe but I do find it is best to use European flour and I use this one that I can get on Amazon.
Do not overwork the dough. It’s important not to overwork your dough when laminating it. If the dough starts sticking to the counter, immediately chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. You don’t want the butter to set up too much and make it hard to roll out the dough, but you don’t want it to be room temperature.
Don’t use to much flour. Don’t use too much flour when rolling out your dough. As long as you don’t let it get too warm and overwork it, it shouldn’t need very much. Adding too much flour when rolling the dough out will cause your croissants to dry out and become a little crumbly.
Use salted butter or unsalted butter. If you are using unsalted butter then add 1½ teaspoons of salt to your croissant dough when mixing it in the mixer.
Add sweetness. For some extra sweetness, sprinkle your croissants with powdered sugar after baking or add a sprinkle of crystal sugar on top after the egg wash.
Use quality chocolate. Chocolate chips or chocolate candy melts are not something that you want to use with this recipe. You want to use a quality chocolate that will melt but also retain its shape.
Don’t skimp on chill time. There is a lot of chill in the refrigerator for this recipe and it is important not to skip it. I know it takes quite a bit of time to make this recipe, but the chill time and the rest time are very important for this recipe and having the best results.
What is the best chocolate to use when making homemade chocolate croissants?
The best chocolate to use is one that melts smoothly but retains its shape inside the pastry during baking. We like to use dark chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate, too.
Chocolate Batons. These are specifically designed for making croissants and pastries. They are long, thin bars of high-quality chocolate that melt evenly and have a smooth texture. Callebaut and Valrhona are 2 rands that make chocolate batons.
High-Quality Dark Chocolate. Choose dark chocolate with a cocoa content between 55% and 70%. Too low a percentage can be too sweet, while too high might overpower the pastry. You can chop a brick of chocolate into thin pieces or into chunks of chocolate.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Chunks. Semi-sweet chips (around 60% cocoa) are an alternative, though they may not melt as smoothly as batons or chopped chocolate. If you are going to use chocolate chips or chunks opt for premium brands like Ghirardelli for a better flavor.
How to Store Homemade Croissants
Store your croissants on the counter for up to 6 days in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. If you freeze your croissants must be thawed in the fridge before you reheat them.
How to Reheat Croissants
Homemade croissants are best when served within a few hours of coming out of the oven. After that, you can reheat them in the oven to reconstitute some of that light crunchiness. The best way to reheat your croissants is in the oven for 4 minutes at 350°F.
How To Freeze Homemade Croissants
You can freeze your croissant dough once it is filled with chocolate, rolled, and you have brushed with the egg wash. Chill the croissants on a baking sheet in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Then, place the baking sheet with the croissants in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Remove the unbaked croissants from the freezer, wrap each one individually with plastic wrap, and then place them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Place the croissants back into the freezer and store them until you are ready to bake them later.
How to Bake Frozen Croissants
When you plan on baking the croissants that you have frozen, remove them from the freezer, remove the last wrap from them, and place them on a baking sheet.
Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, place the baking sheet in the fridge, and thaw the croissants overnight. Once the croissants are thawed, remove the plastic wrap on top of the baking sheet, and then bake the croissants for 20 minutes at 375°F.
Chocolate Croissants Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups salted butter, softened (3 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup chopped chocolate
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk (for egg wash)
How to make Chocolate Croissants
Whisk together the flour, yeast, and sugar in a stand mixer. Cut 1/4 cup of butter into tablespoon slices and add it to the mixing bowl.
Whisk the ingredients together on low speed using the paddle attachment for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk and water while keeping the mixer on at a low speed. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, attach the kneading dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 10×14 inch rectangle.
Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper, carefully transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
Cover the dough again and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
When you have 1 hour left, place the remaining 1.5 cups of butter on one end of a large piece of parchment paper.
Fold the parchment paper over the butter and use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a thin sheet.
Trim your butter down to a 10×7 inch rectangle. Place the sheet of butter in the fridge until the dough is ready.
After 2 the dough has been in the fridge for 2 hours, remove it from the fridge and place the cold butter in the middle of the croissant dough.
Fold the long edge of the dough over the butter to seal it. Roll your dough along the seam to create a roughly 7×20 inch rectangle.
Fold the dough in thirds, rotate the dough 90 degrees, and roll it out again to 7×20 inches.
Fold the dough into thirds again, and roll the dough one more time, rotating it another 90 degrees.
Return the dough to the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill your croissant dough in the fridge for 12 hours.
Before removing the croissant dough from the fridge, chop your chocolate into small pieces of chocolate if you are using a block of chocolate. I find it best to use a sharp knife to chop it into small pieces.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface. You want your dough to be about 8×20 inches, but you’ll want to roll it out a little bigger and then trim it down to size so the butter goes all the way to the edges of the pastry dough. You will see the butter in layers of the dough even though you rolled it and folded it previously.
Slice the croissant dough into 16 rectangles.
Place a spoonful of small chocolate pieces chocolate on each end of the rectangles and roll the dough over the chocolate. Place the croissant seam side down onto the baking sheet.
Once the croissants are rolled, chill the dough for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
While the oven is preheating, whisk together the egg and milk to create your egg wash. Brush the top of each croissant with the egg wash and then bake for 20 minutes.
Our Favorite Baked Goods Recipes
- Homemade white bread recipe
- Irish Soda bread
- Rosemary Focaccia bread
- Panettone bread recipe
- Homemade soft pretzels
Chocolate Croissants Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups salted butter softened (3 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup chopped chocolate
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons whole milk for egg wash
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, yeast, and sugar in a stand mixer. Cut 1/4 cup of butter into tablespoon slices and add it to the mixing bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together on low speed using the paddle attachment for 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the milk and water while keeping the mixer on at a low speed. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, attach the kneading dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 10×14 inch rectangle.
- Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper, carefully transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
- Cover the dough again and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
- When you have 1 hour left, place the remaining 1.5 cups of butter on one end of a large piece of parchment paper.
- Fold the parchment paper over the butter and use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a thin sheet.
- Trim your butter down to a 10×7 inch rectangle. Place the sheet of butter in the fridge until the dough is ready.
- After 2 the dough has been in the fridge for 2 hours, remove it from the fridge and place the cold butter in the middle of the croissant dough.
- Fold the long edge of the dough over the butter to seal it. Roll your dough along the seam to create a roughly 7×20 inch rectangle.
- Fold the dough in thirds, rotate the dough 90 degrees, and roll it out again to 7×20 inches.
- Fold the dough into thirds again, and roll the dough one more time, rotating it another 90 degrees.
- Return the dough to the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill your croissant dough in the fridge for 12 hours.
- Before removing the croissant dough from the fridge, chop your chocolate into small pieces of chocolate if you are using a block of chocolate. I find it best to use a sharp knife to chop it into small pieces.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface. You want your dough to be about 8×20 inches, but you’ll want to roll it out a little bigger and then trim it down to size so the butter goes all the way to the edges of the pastry dough. You will see the butter in layers of the dough even though you rolled it and folded it previously.
- Slice the croissant dough into 16 rectangles.
- Place a spoonful of small chocolate pieces chocolate on each end of the rectangles and roll the dough over the chocolate. Place the croissant seam side down onto the baking sheet.
- Once the croissants are rolled, chill the dough for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- While the oven is preheating, whisk together the egg and milk to create your egg wash. Brush the top of each croissant with the egg wash and then bake for 20 minutes.
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