Dessert croissants can be made by using vanilla custard, chocolate, almond paste, and cream cheese with jam to create a sweet stuffed croissant.
You can stuff croissants right before baking, or after you’ve baked the croissants.
There is no need to make your own croissant dough until you’re ready to take on that task. Purchase croissant dough in the freezer aisle and thaw it out until it’s ready to be worked with.
Vanilla Bean Custard Stuffed Croissants
Vanilla custard stuffed croissants are filled with a sweet, creamy vanilla bean custard.
It’s best to use freshly baked croissants that are flakey, buttery, and melt in your mouth.
Making croissants is quite the process! It’s about 3 days to make the croissant dough, but it’s worth all of the effort! You can also use store bought croissant dough if you want to.
The vanilla custard needs to be chilled prior to using, therefore it’s ideal to make the custard the day before you need to fill the croissants.
Once the croissants have been baked and cooled to room temperature, you’re ready to fill them with your custard using a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip.
Each side of the croissant needs to be filled with custard, so you can see 2 entry points to fill the croissants.
Press the piping tip as far into the croissant as possible, and begin piping the custard. The croissant will fill up, and then remove the piping tip from the croissant.
Repeat on the other side of the croissant.
Store vanilla custard stuffed croissants in the fridge, until you’re ready to serve them for dessert.
Chocolate Croissants
Chocolate croissants are made with rectangular cut croissant dough.
You can use semi-sweet chocolate for a more sweet flavor, or bittersweet chocolate if you don’t want a ton of sweetness for your stuffed chocolate dessert croissant.
Do not overfill the croissant with chocolate, or it will end up melted all over your pan.
You can use chocolate chips, or a bar of chocolate. The chocolate should be about 1 cm in diameter, and then should run the length of the croissant dough.
Cut the croissant dough into 2″ x 5″ sections to make chocolate croissants. Stretch the dough with your hands, and then arrange the chocolate on the short end of the croissant dough.
Begin rolling the dough, and end with the seam edge down.
Make an egg wash with 1 egg + 1 tsp water. Whisk together, and then brush the egg onto the croissants.
Let the dough proof on the counter for 2 hours.
Bake the croissants at 410 degrees for 7 min, then bake at 375 for 13 min. Or, follow the directions on the package if you’re making croissants with store bought dough.
Almond Stuffed Croissants
Almond stuffed croissants are made by using day old croissants. The croissants are cut in half, and then they are dipped in a sugar syrup on each side.
The croissants are stuffed with an almond paste made of almond flour, butter, sugar, salt, and eggs.
On the top of the croissant, the almond paste is spread with a knife, and then sliced almonds are sprinkled on top.
Almond croissants are baked in the oven, and can be served for dessert warm, right out of the oven.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Croissants with Strawberry Jam
Roll out your croissant dough, and cut it into triangles.
It should be about 1/4″ in thickness, and about 12.5 cm on the wide end of the triangle, and about 20 cm in length.
Stretch the dough until it’s about 25 cm.
Add a spoonful of softened cream cheese on the wide end of the croissant dough.
Add 1 tbsp of strawberry jam on top of the cream cheese.
Roll the croissants by rolling from the wide end to the pointed end. End with the seam edge down.
Egg wash the croissants by mixing together 1 egg and 1 tsp of water. Whisk together and brush the egg wash all over the croissants.
Bake the stuffed dessert croissants at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
When you’re ready to serve your stuffed dessert croissant, dust the croissants with icing sugar.
What can you fill dessert croissants with after baking
Slice the croissant in half, then fill with:
- whip cream and strawberries
- whip cream and blueberries
- lemon custard and whip cream
- hazelnut spread and chopped up walnuts
- hazelnut spread and bananas
- butter and cinnamon and sugar
- vanilla custard and raspberries
It’s a ton of fun for your family to stuff croissants for dessert.
They will love creating their own mixtures and combinations!
Try it out for your next family get together!
See video here.
