Everyday recipe
Easy Mini Croissants with Puff Pastry
Flaky, golden little croissants made with store-bought puff pastry for a bakery-looking breakfast without the weekend-long dough project.
What you’ll need
Ingredients
- 1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, 2 sheets, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- Optional: 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
- Optional: coarse sugar, for finishing
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Keep one puff pastry sheet refrigerated while you shape the other.
- Lightly flour the counter and unfold the first cold pastry sheet. Gently roll it into an 11-inch circle. Set an 11-inch plate or bowl on top and trim around it; save the scraps to bake as little twists.
- Cut the pastry circle into 12 equal wedges, like a pizza. For chocolate croissants, place about 1 teaspoon of chocolate along the wide edge of each wedge, leaving a small border.
- Starting at the wide edge, roll each wedge snugly toward the point. Place it point-side down on the prepared pan and gently curve the ends inward. Leave about 2 inches between pastries.
- Repeat with the second pastry sheet. Refrigerate both pans for 10 minutes so the butter in the pastry is cold before baking.
- Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush a thin layer over the tops of the chilled pastries without letting it drip onto the cut edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
- Bake one pan at a time for 14 to 17 minutes, until the mini croissants are puffed and deeply golden. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Bake the second pan the same way.
Make it work in your kitchen
Four small details that help
Keep the pastry cold
Cold butter creates steam in the oven, which separates the pastry into crisp layers. Thaw the sheets in the refrigerator and work with one at a time.
Put the point underneath
Set each rolled wedge on its pointed tip. The weight of the pastry keeps it from unrolling as it puffs.
Brush only the tops
Egg wash makes the pastries glossy, but drips along the cut edges can glue the layers together and limit their rise.
Bake until deeply golden
Pale puff pastry can be doughy inside. Look for an even, rich golden color on the tops and sides before taking the pan from the oven.
For future you
They are best while still warm
Serve the mini croissants the day they are baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, then reheat at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes to bring back the crisp edges. Freeze cooled pastries for up to 1 month and reheat from frozen at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
One Thing Before You Go
Food or nutrition fact
Puff Pastry Rises with Steam, Not Yeast
Puff pastry gets its dramatic lift without yeast or baking powder. Its thin layers of dough are separated by butter. In a hot oven, water in the butter turns to steam and pushes those dough layers apart; the structure sets as it bakes, leaving the crisp, airy sheets you see at the edge of each pastry. That is also why cold pastry matters: keeping the butter distinct until baking helps preserve the separate layers that create the puff.
Why it’s fun to share: Break one mini croissant in half and look for the stacked layers—the steam has left visible evidence of how the pastry rose.