These super easy mini chocolate croissants only need 3 ingredients, and are ready in an hour! Made with golden brown puff pastry wrapped around semi sweet chocolate, they’re a great brunch or afternoon snack.
This post was updated in 2023 to add more recipe tips. I took out the long personal story about serving these to my daughter, which is what people reacted to in the comments.
Sometimes you need a sweet treat for an afternoon snack. These mini chocolate croissants are perfect for afternoon snacking or as part of a brunch spread. For more delicious treats, try Honey Cookies, Chocolate Chip Granola Bites, Apple Honey Apple Cake, or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe using a great shortcut - store-bought puff pastry.
- Only 3 simple ingredients required!
- Ready in an hour.
Dana's Note: These easy chocolate croissants are truly delicious and simple to make. Flaky croissant dough wrapped around your favorite chocolate. It sounds complicated to make, but using frozen pre-made puff pastry is my secret shortcut. Who can resist a warm chocolate croissant fresh out of the oven?
What is puff pastry?
Puff pastry is a laminated dough - meaning it is made from alternating thin layers of pastry with thin layers of butter. Puff pastry also comes in a tasty vegan version. When baked, the layers of butter puff up to create a flakey, buttery dough.
Making puff pastry from scratch is time consuming and takes some pastry skills. Using frozen pre-made puff pastry dough makes these mini chocolate croissants so easy, and the results are just as delicious. No rolling pin required!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the recipe card below for a complete ingredient list and measurements.
Jump to RecipeI love that this mini chocolate croissant recipe only requires 3 ingredients.
- Frozen puff pastry dough - I bought 1 package of Indo-European puff pastry squares, which comes with ten 5" x 5" squares. You can also buy puff pastry sheets that commonly come in a 20-inch rectangle and cut them to size. They are in the freezer section of many grocery and specialty food stores. Make sure you are buying "puff pastry" and not phyllo dough or pie crust.
- Semi-sweet chocolate squares - Use a tasty, good quality dark chocolate bar that is semi-sweet or bittersweet. The quality of the chocolate makes a difference in the final taste of the croissant. I prefer the Ghirardelli bar for the convenient size and shape, but there are many other good brands including Guittard.
- Egg - You will need one egg to make an egg wash for brushing the top of the pastries.
How to Make Mini Chocolate Croissants
See the recipe card below for complete directions.
Jump to RecipeStep by step directions on how to make these mini puff pastry chocolate croissants.
STEP ONE: Defrost puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for about 30 minutes.
STEP TWO: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Working on a cutting board, cut a puff pastry sheet in half (if using 5x5" squares). Brush top edge of pastry dough lightly with egg wash.
Place a piece of chocolate on the short end of the dough near you. Roll the dough around the chocolate pieces. Place the dough with seam side down on the lined baking sheet. Keep pairing a half square of dough with a half square of chocolate.
Alternatively you can cut the squares into triangles, and roll the chocolate filling from the wide end of the triangle making a crescent shape.
STEP THREE: Brush the tops of the rolled croissants with egg wash.
STEP FOUR: Place the cookie sheet full of raw, rolled croissants in the freezer for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats. Heat a regular oven to 375ºF (or 367ºF for a convection oven).
STEP FIVE: Bake until croissants are dark golden brown and cooked through inside. Cool on a rack. Serve once cool enough to eat.
Quick Tips
- Use good quality chocolate for best results.
- Work with one section of dough at a time, and keep the remaining dough covered.
- Make cutting the dough easy with a pizza cutter or long sharp knife.
- Freezing the rolled croissants before baking helps them to puff up better in the oven.
- Resist taking a bite just out of the oven, as the melted chocolate will be very hot!
Storage and Reheating
How to store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for about 2 days. Briefly reheat in microwave or 300ºF oven to serve.
More dessert recipes
- Italian Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons
- Homemade Chocolate Lollipops
- Honey Cookies
- Almost Flourless French Chocolate Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
Chocolate bars or squares will work better for this recipe, as they will stay intact when rolling the dough. Chocolate chips tend to fall out of the sides, but can be substituted in a pinch.
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Recipe
Mini Chocolate Croissants with Puff Pastry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package of frozen puff pastry dough I bought 1 package of Indo-European puff pastry squares, which comes with ten 5" x 5" squares. Rectangle sheets work too but need more cutting.
- 10 Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate squares I bought 2 Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, 4 ounces each. Break the bar into squares, and then cut each square in half. I had some left over.
- 1 egg beaten for egg wash
Instructions
- Defrost puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight. Or leave the puff pastry to defrost on the kitchen counter for about a half hour. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working on a cutting board, cut a puff pastry square in half, and work with one half square of dough at a time. Cover the remaining dough with a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out. To form the croissant roll, brush top edge of pastry dough lightly with egg wash- this will become the seam. Place a half square of chocolate on the short end of the dough near you. Flip up the dough and chocolate together and keep rolling so that the dough fully wraps around the chocolate.
- Place the roll with seam side down on a lined cookie sheet. Keep pairing a half square of dough with a half square of chocolate. Spread the unbaked croissants out over two baking sheets or run two separate batches. Brush the tops of the raw croissants with egg wash.
- Place the cookie sheet with raw croissants in the freezer for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats. Heat a regular oven to 375ºF (or 367ºF for a convection oven). Alternatively, following the baking temperature and time for your particular brand of frozen puffed pastry.
- Bake in the oven for 17-19 minutes until croissants are dark golden brown and cooked through inside. Check the sides of the croissants to make sure that the inner swirl of the puff pastry in not undercooked, which looks gummy and opaque grey in color.
- Cool on a rack. Resist taking an immediate bite because the chocolate is very hot just out of the oven. Serve once cool enough to eat.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Fresh Food in a Flash says
Wanted to read about these delicious looking and easy chocolate croissants. Wow! What a story to go with it. Love that. Glad to know you Dana. P.S. Saw those puff pastry squares today while buying phyllo dough. Should have bought them too!
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Patricia- thanks so much for letting me know that you appreciate my story. I'd love to hear what you do with the puff pastry when you have a chance to buy it.
ShePaused4Thought says
What a beautiful reminder of how precious life is. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story.
I have that pastry in my freezer right now and never thought of making croissants with it. I find most Armenian stores carry it in the San Fernando Valley as well. Looking forward to trying this.
Dana @ FoodieGoesHealthy says
Cathy, how true. Great tip for finding the frozen puff pastry in other neighborhoods.
Nan says
Wonderful post, so heart felt and honest! PS. Love the easy recipe.
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
I appreciate the encouragement.
Deborah Davidson, Ph.D. says
Love this! So happy you posted. She's lucky to have such a strong mom as a role model.
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Thank you. Your support means a lot to me.
shockinglydelicious says
My emotions are on my sleeve these days, more than usual, as my daughter has gone off to college. A glimpse of an old photo, a whisper of a song that she used to sing around the house, a mention of her by my son or my husband...it doesn't take much to set me off now. I am trying to learn to accept it as part of the messy, bittersweet, beautiful aspect of living that you rightly point out. A lovely post about your daughter and your experience, and I am now looking for an excuse to scoot over to Bay Cities to snag some of that handy puff pastry.
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Hi Dorothy- sending your daughter off to college is a good example of when life is bittersweet. I hope you adjust to the new normal soon. Remember your bond is forever, and she is coming back. You will soon enjoy a new phase with her: a relationship with an adult child who shares your interests.
Stephanie says
Your baby girl is a fighter ,and i don't see how you could not get emotional as you watch her thriving all these years later after have going through so much.she has a purpose to fulfill
And as for your trears ,ah yea u make me feel like a lame mommy to my 4 kids, lol that was super sweet of you. You do Rock!
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Stephanie- thanks for the mom support. I do feel she is here for a reason.