Lucy had a special request for her “sixth birthday party”:http://boydsnest.org/news/2012/two-girls-one-party/: her favorite homemade cheese croissants. But wait, it gets better: they’ve got _chocolate_ in them.
My friend Dora first introduced me to these super-simple croissants, featured in the “April 2006 issue of Everyday Food”:http://www.marthastewart.com/317433/glazed-cheese-croissants. Made with *only four basic ingredients,* they are buttery, flaky, and delicious. The cottage cheese does some kind of magic in the dough!
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You can make these in three variations:
* Plain — delicious topped with a simple sugar glaze of ½ cup powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons milk
* Savory — with a salty cheese and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
* Chocolate — with a few high-quality chocolate chips tucked inside (Lucy’s favorite)
The original recipe is for eight large croissants, but I have always made sixteen small ones instead. This recipe also can double (and triple) very well; in fact, I almost always double it. The extra dough will keep in the freezer so you can have fancy croissants pretty much whenever the urge hits you. The baked croissants also fare well in the freezer, but they do benefit from a quick oven-warming after defrosting. Happy baking!
h3. Cheese Croissants
_You’ll find instructions for variations below._
½ cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup small-curd cottage cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling dough
¼ teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl (I use my stand mixer), combine butter, cottage cheese, flour, and salt. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate until firm, about two hours.
Preheat oven to 375°F. On a well-floured surface, roll dough out to a 14-inch circle. Cut circle evenly into 16 triangles. Roll each triangle up, from wide end to tip, and place on a baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
When cool, drizzle sugar glaze (½ cup powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons milk) over croissants. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to two days.
h3. Savory Cheese Croissants
When mixing the basic dough, add ½ cup finely grated salty cheese — I’ve used pecorino, asiago, and parmesan at different times, all with good results. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper before baking.
h3. Chocolate Croissants
Using the basic dough, tuck six or seven good-quality chocolate chips in the croissant at the wide end before rolling. If you’d like a shiny crust, brush the croissants with a beaten egg before baking, and sprinkle with coarse-grained sugar if desired.
Sounds delish! Can’t wait to try!
These look super yummy! When you make the chocolate version, do you still put the sugar glaze on them once they cool?
I think I did not put the sugar glaze on the chocolate version the last time I made them, but you totally could — and it would probably be better (and prettier). Do it! :)