TRADER JOE'S CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS: National Croissant Day

Today is National Croissant Day. There's nothing quite like waking up to a flaky buttery croissant. I have my favorite bakeries for croissants. I love croissants at La Fournee Bakery in Berkeley (close to my home), and, of course, the many cafes and bakeries in Paris. San Francisco, though, has many great croissant bakeries, so I'm quite lucky.

But maybe you just want to wake up to fresh croissants without leaving home. I've posted this before, but it definitely bears reposting! Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants to the rescue. These are some of the best frozen croissants you'll ever taste. The 'proof' is in the pudding, as they say, and these croissants are proofed (allowed to rise) overnight before they're baked for 20 minutes the following morning. The heavenly smell will take over your kitchen. This is perfect for the weekend and National Croissant Day. Just an FYI, the Trader Joe's plain croissants don't need rising. Yay! Even better. 

And, the price can't be beat--$5.99 for 4! In the San Francisco Bay Area, Chef Jean-Yves Charon from Galaxy Bakery is the genius behind Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants. Rumor has it that Williams Sonoma gets their frozen croissants from the same source. So, Trader Joe's represents a huge cost savings.

O.K., these "Croissants" are really Pain au Chocolat, as anyone can see by the shape. Nevertheless, feel free to imagine yourself at a sidewalk cafe in Paris when eating these! These croissants are incredibly flaky and buttery, so light and airy, and the Callebaut chocolate is rich and delicious. Since there are four to a box, and each croissant contains 18 grams of fat, you might want to offer a few to family or friends. If you don't care what they'll do to your waistline or thighs, indulge and eat them all. They're terrific!

This is one product that outshines most home baked croissants. Yes, you can make your own Chocolate Croissants, but these are so good, why bother?

You'll find TJ's Chocolate Croissants in the freezer section.

PAIN AU CHOCOLAT (aka: Chocolate Croissant): Guest Post by Sarah Husmann

The weather has finally cooled, and I decided to try making Pain Au Chocolat again, otherwise known as Chocolate Croissant. The reason for making these when it’s colder is that the kitchen temp is cooler which helps keep the dough and butter cold when laminating. Lamination is the process of folding and rolling butter into dough over and over again to create super-thin layers. I ALWAYS have issues with this step, and my butter always leaks or bakes out leaving my Pain Au Chocolat flat with little to no flaky layers that one expects. I also previously made the mistake of making them when the kitchen was too warm.

I finally conquered the laminating process (for now.  LOL) and this batch of Pain Au Chocolat came out PERFECT! No leaking butter. Beautiful puffy, layers of flaky pastry. I also tried a different recipe. I’ve previously tried several others, but this one seems to be the winner. The only change to the recipe was I did an extra fold before rolling, cutting, and forming them.

https://bakingwithbutter.com/pain-au-chocolat-recipe-step-by-step/

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FYI: I got to taste these, and I have to say they were the best Pain au Chocolat that I have ever tasted. Thanks, Sarah!  - Janet

TRADER JOE'S CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS: National Croissant Day

Tomorrow is National Croissant Day. There's nothing quite like waking up to a flaky buttery croissant. I have my favorite sources for croissants. I love croissants at La Fournee Bakery in Berkeley (close to my home), and, of course, the many cafes and bakeries in Paris.

But maybe you just want to wake up to fresh croissants without leaving home. I've posted this before, but it definitely bears reposting! Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants to the rescue. These are some of the best frozen croissants you'll ever taste. The 'proof' is in the pudding, as they say, and these croissants are proofed (allowed to rise) overnight before they're baked for 20 minutes the following morning. The heavenly smell will take over your kitchen. This is perfect for this weekend and National Croissant Day.

And, the price can't be beat--$4.99 for 4! In the San Francisco Bay Area, Chef Jean-Yves Charon from Galaxy Bakery is the genius behind Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants. Rumor has it that Williams Sonoma gets their frozen croissants from the same source. So, Trader Joe's represents a huge cost savings.

O.K., these "Croissants" are really Pain au Chocolat, as anyone can see by the shape. Nevertheless, feel free to imagine yourself at a sidewalk cafe in Paris when eating these! These croissants are incredibly flaky and buttery, so light and airy, and the Callebaut chocolate is rich and delicious. Since there are four to a box, and each croissant contains 18 grams of fat, you might want to offer a few to family or friends. If you don't care what they'll do to your waistline or thighs, indulge and eat them all. They're terrific!

This is one product that outshines most home baked croissants. Yes, you can make your own Chocolate Croissants, but these are so good, why bother?

You'll find TJ's Chocolate Croissants in the freezer section.