Chocolate Croissant French Toast Bake
Croissants are just delicious, can we all agree? When I was a kid, we lived next to a donut shop (and an epic Italian deli that I still dream about) and I never got donuts. They never really did it for me so I always got a fancy croissant of some kind, cream cheese, raspberry, lemon, whatever. But never chocolate, I HATED chocolate until I was about 21! I was that kid selling my chocolate bunnies and Santas on the playground. Once I decided chocolate was delicious, I went the other way and I am a true chocoholic. I was actually talking to my brother over Thanksgiving about this place and it struck me how much that little strip mall imprinted in our brains. And now that I think about it, I have only seen croissants being sold at donut shops in California, here in Texas we have Kolaches which are soooo yummy but they are savory.
Now that I love chocolate and a chocolate croissant is so iconic, I wanted to make something that brought those together for an easy breakfast or dessert. French toast bakes are always a good idea and croissants perfectly soak up the flavor while still remaining crispy. It all came together and I made this for my brother and his girlfriend and wow it was a hit, so delicious! You can top it with simple powdered sugar, a dollop of whipped cream, a swirl from a can, or even a scoop of ice cream. Eat it warm and it reheats so well.
You can make this the night before, it is so good for company or a holiday breakfast and it is dead simple. I made mine dairy free because that is what I have on hand but use the real deal if you like. Have this with some eggs and bacon for an epic Christmas morning spread. Bring it to a potluck. Make it as a dessert. The options are endless and there is nothing healthy about this but it brings true joy!
Chocolate Croissant French Toast Bake
8 large croissants, quartered
1 (10oz) bag dark chocolate chips - about 1 3/4 cup
1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup light brown sugar
8 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick oil spray. Fit the bottoms of the croissant quarters in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of chocolate chips.
- In a large bowl, whisk the half and half, milk, vanilla, brown sugar, eggs, nutmeg, and salt. Pour half of the mixture over the croissants and chocolate chips.
- Place the tops of the croissants on top of the mixture, fitting in snuggly, then sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and pour over the remaining egg mixture.
- Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375, remove cover, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is browned and crispy.
- Serve with sifted powdered sugar over the top.
Not a huge ingredient list means you can easily whip this up in minutes. You want to make sure the eggs are room temperature because it helps it whisk better.
This is how you should quarter your croissants. I grabbed mine at Costco, they are super cheap and you will have leftovers to make epic sandwiches.
Grab all the bottom sections, place them on the bottom of your baking dish. Crack your eggs and get ready to whip it all together.
I used dairy free half and half and almond milk and it was great, pour them into the eggs along with the vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.
Whisk it all together and grab your chocolate chips.
Sprinkle a little more than half of the chips all over the bottoms.
Pour half of the egg mixture.
Nestle those croissant tops tightly together, closing any gaps.
The rest of the egg mixture is poured over the top, go slowly so it doesn’t splash out.
Last of the chocolate chips on top and it’s ready to chill for at least 30 minutes, just cover and place in the fridge. This is perfect for prepping the night before and just baking in the morning.
