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Prep time
25 minutes
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Cook time
40 minutes
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makes
Many!
Author Notes
Sometimes you don’t want a whole croissant with your coffee. Actually, I’m not crossing paths with any people that fit this description, so that’s potentially a misnomer, but for the purposes of this recipe, let’s pretend there are people out there that don’t want a whole croissant with their coffee.
In Italy it’s common to have a coffee and a biscuit for breakfast, hence why I’ve named this recipe Croissant ‘Biscotti.’ The texture of these thin, caramelized, double-baked slices of croissant are not dissimilar to biscotti, which is traditionally baked first as a large log of sweetened dough, the baked log then sliced into individual thins which are laid flat and baked again, resulting in that famed crunchy, dry texture (perfect for dipping in your coffee).
If you happen to have any croissants left over, this is a sensational little sweet snack to have stored in the pantry. And if you’re like me, and you always want a whole croissant with your coffee, the best thing about these is that you don’t have to stop at one… — Kate Reid —Food52
Test Kitchen Notes
Excerpted with permission from Lune: Eating Croissants All Day, All Night by Kate Reid, published by Hardie Grant, February 2023.
This recipe calls for thickened cream—which contains thickening agents like gelatin or vegetable gums. While common in Australia, it may be hard to come by in the U.S. If you can’t find it, you can use heavy whipping cream instead. —Food52
Ingredients
- For the croissant ‘biscotti’:
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6
day-old croissants, frozen
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1 pound
plus 2 ounces (500 grams) thickened cream
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10 ½ ounces
(300 grams) caster (superfine) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
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4 teaspoons
flaky sea salt
- For the tempered chocolate:
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2 pounds
plus 4 ounces (1 kilogram) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
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1/3 ounce
(10 grams) cocoa butter
Directions
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Make the croissant ‘biscotti’: Heat your oven to 300°F fan (150°C) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
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Remove one croissant at a time from the freezer to keep the pastry as frozen and solid as possible. Slice a croissant in half lengthways through the nose and then, using a mandoline or a very sharp serrated knife, cut very thin slices of croissant widthways across each half. Note: You need to work very quickly to slice the croissants, as they don’t take long to thaw out, and keeping them as solid as possible is the key to cutting even, thin slices.
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Place the cream, sugar and salt in a saucepan and warm over a low heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar and salt.
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Working one slice at a time, carefully pick up the croissant thins and coat them in the warmed cream, drain off any excess and arrange the slices in one layer on the lined baking tray.
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Sprinkle the cream-coated slices with a little extra sugar and place in the oven to bake until they have reached a medium to dark golden brown colour. This will take longer than you expect. Start with 30 minutes on the timer and check them at the 30-minute mark. They may need a little longer to become really lovely and caramelized.
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Make the tempered chocolate: Set up a double boiler: bring 2 inches (5 centimeters) of water to the boil in a medium saucepan then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a heatproof metal bowl over the top of the saucepan, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl isn’t actually touching the water. Make sure that the bowl fits snugly, because if any condensation coming from the simmering water makes its way into the bowl, it will ruin the tempering of the chocolate.
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Place 1 pound plus 10 ounces (750 grams) of the chocolate in the bowl with the cocoa butter and melt, monitoring the temperature. Once it reaches 122°F (50°C fan), carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan and gradually add the remaining 9 ounces (250 grams) of chocolate, stirring constantly with a clean, dry spatula and continuing to monitor the temperature. Adding the 9 ounces (250 grams) of chocolate will have reduced the temperature of the melted chocolate.
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Reduce the temperature of the chocolate to 82°F (28°C), then place the bowl of melted chocolate briefly back over the saucepan, continually stirring, and bring the chocolate up to 89°F (32°C).
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Your chocolate is now perfectly tempered and ready to use immediately.
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Finishing: Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper. Take a cooled slice of croissant ‘biscotti’ and dip one end into the melted tempered chocolate. Twirl the piece of croissant around to allow any excess chocolate to drip off, then lay the slice of croissant onto one of the lined baking trays. Allow to set completely. If you have tempered your chocolate correctly, the surface of the set chocolate should be shiny, and the chocolate will snap when you break it or bite into it.
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Repeat with the remaining slices of croissant biscotti. Store in an airtight container in single layers, separated by baking paper.
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