One of the items that I had read about online and saw in store was the frozen chocolate croissants. I heard that they were supposedly the best frozen item and tasted just like a fresh baked chocolate croissant. Intrigued, I looked at a box when I was in Trader Joe's a few months ago but was instantly scared away after looking at the nutritional information. It probably comes as no surprise that they are extremely high in fat, since croissants are basically half butter, but it is still a little shocking when looking at that nutritional information.
But, after reading multiple blog posts about them and after a few times of picking up the box and putting it back down, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy them. They have been sitting in my freezer now for 3 or so weeks, so I decided that today was the day to make them.
It does involve a bit of planning, because you have to take them out of the box and let them proof (rise) for 9 hours, or overnight, before you even start to bake them. Therefore, you have to know that you want to make them the day before you actually want to eat them. To me, this is actually a good thing since they are pretty unhealthy and you can't just wake up and make them on a whim.
Anyway, I have been craving these croissants lately, especially with the cronut craze all over the news, so I decided that I would finally make one this morning. When you take them out of the box, this is what they look like....
It looks a little strange at first, but I knew that they had to rise overnight and was very anxious to see what they would look like when I woke up. Upon waking up this morning, the first thing I did was go into the kitchen and see what it looked like.
I was shocked at how much it grew overnight! Even though it said on the box that it would grow a lot, I was a bit skeptical after seeing what they looked like when I took them out of the box. Now that it had risen overnight, I still had to preheat the oven and bake them for 20 minutes. You can choose to brush an egg over the top to give it a more shiny finish, but since I was only making one I chose not to waste a whole egg. The hardest part of the whole process was waiting for it while it was in the oven, because the smell permeated my entire apartment! I felt like I was sitting in a bakery in Paris waiting for a fresh baked croissant, and I was just hoping that the taste was able to stand up to the amazing smell.
I actually want to take back my earlier statement and say that the hardest part was waiting 10 minutes AFTER taking them out of the oven. It says on the box to wait 10 minutes after you take them out before eating them, and normally I would disregard the directions but I decided that I had already invested a lot of time in it and I may as well just wait 10 more minutes.
So, I sat there staring at this beautifully golden chocolate croissant, taking in the aroma of a Parisian bakery, until 10 minutes finally passed. When I picked it up, I noticed that even though it looked huge it was super light and had a nice and hard exterior, which were good signs! Then, I finally took my first bite...
I was pretty much in heaven after my first bite. It was very crispy on the outside and the outermost layer started to flake off onto the plate, which is exactly what you want to see. The inside of the croissant, however, was the star. The layers were extremely soft, fluffy, and buttery and once I got to the chocolate, I couldn't stop smiling. There are two long strips of chocolate in these croissants so you definitely get chocolate in almost every bite, and it goes really well with the crunchy outside and soft, buttery inside.
This croissant is honestly up there with some of the best that I have ever had (and yes, I have been to Paris). Not only does it look better than some that are sold in bakeries, but it even tastes better! You would never guess that these came from the freezer aisle! If you have a Trader Joe's near you and you love croissants, I highly recommend purchasing these. Even if you are scared away by the nutritional info, I figured that it was good to have in my freezer for when I was craving a croissant. I mean, if I am craving one, I would rather make it myself, know the nutritional info, and eat it in my home instead of buying one in a bakery and not knowing how many calories I could be eating. Also, since you do have to plan for these, it prevents you from making them on a whim which means when you decide to make them, you have really thought it through! So, before you put that box down (multiple times, if you are like me), just buy them now and stick them in your freezer. They honestly taste like a freshly baked croissant and are on par, if not better, than ones you could buy in a bakery.
(I should also mention that last night I watched American Baking Competition and one of the challenges was to make croissants, so that made me in the mood for these even more! I also took it as a sign that I made the right choice in making them for today!)
eating one of these for the first time now. A-Maz-Ing! Need to go buy another box!
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