Raspberry Chocolate Croissants

These Chocolate Raspberry Croissants are the classic, flaky French pastry with a sweet raspberry filling and a strip of dark chocolate in the center.

Croissants are my favorite pastry. Chocolate and raspberry is (one of) my favorite flavor combinations. So when they got together in for these chocolate raspberry croissants, I was all “oh HECK YES.”

Don’t you love how I made all of that sound like these things magically made themselves? But the truth is…this recipe has been sitting here for over a year. It worked beautifully, but I wanted to be more thorough with my basic croissant recipe and make sure that I had something I really LOVED before putting them out in the world. Also, croissants are so dang hard to photograph for some reason, and it took a few tries before I was happy.

I think the powdered sugar on top is what makes the picture magic happen here. It makes me think of snowy mornings with breakfast in bed. Which, incidentally, these would be perfect for.

How to Make Chocolate Raspberry Croissants

• There are two elements to a croissant. The first is a yeasted dough, which is folded and rolled out with a block of butter multiple times to create layers of fat and dough. This process is called lamination, and it gives you the flaky layers and buttery flavors that croissants are known for.
• The second component of croissants — the butter layer– is a butter block, or in French a beurrage. This part is honestly the trickiest part of croissants, but definitely something that can be mastered. You want the butter block to be cold, but still pliable when you begin to fold it in. If it’s too cold and hard, it’ll shatter when you try to roll it into the dough, leaving you with tiny pebbles of butter in your dough that create pockets, rather than layers of fat. If it’s too warm and soft it’ll just melt into the dough and you’ll have more bread like rolls, rather than flaky layers.
• Lamination is achieved through a process called turning. Essentially, you will roll out the dough into a long rectangle, then fold it over in what is called a letter fold. The process will be repeated three times, with 30 minutes of refrigeration between each turn. And then..
• …you get to shape your croissants! This is the fun part. For this traditional croissant shape, cut the dough into large triangles. Roll them up with the filling and a bar of chocolate inside, then let them rise for a couple of hours.
• And last, you’ll bake them. A quick shot of high heat to really get that yeast working, then turn them down so that they can get nice and fluffy inside without burning outside. Don’t be afraid of a slightly dark crust, but also don’t burn them. That’s a tragic way for croissants (and a lot of hard work!) to end.
• Actually, there’s one more step… eat them. Eat them ALL. As soon as possible, because croissants are definitely best the day they’re made. And sharing with friends is recommended too.

Making the Croissant Fillings

• For the raspberry filling, you’ll need freeze dried raspberries, almond flour (I like to use fine ground for the best texture), powdered sugar, and soft butter. Simply mix them all into a paste, then put it along the long end of the triangle before rolling each croissant.
  
  While it may be tempting to use fresh berries, the added moisture will create a soggy center in the croissants. Also the freeze dried fruit gives a more intense flavor. You can find them at most grocery stores (I get mine at Sprouts or Trader Joe’s), but if you can’t find them locally they can also be ordered online.
  
• It is almost impossible to chop a bar of chocolate into the rods needed to roll into croissants. You can be all fancy and buy the chocolate sticks online. Or you can melt down dark chocolate, place it in a piping bag or parchment cone and squeeze out your own onto parchment paper. Let them harden completely before tucking one alongside the raspberry filling before rolling the croissant.

Can Croissants be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes! In fact, I recommend making the dough and doing the turns the day before you plan to bake, then keep the laminated dough in the refrigerator overnight. On the morning you are baking, roll, fill, shape, rise, and bake the croissants and serve them fresh.

If you do want to bake ahead of time, reheat them in an oven preheated to 350F until the outsides are crisp and flaky. They won’t be as good as freshly baked, but

Can you freeze croissant dough? That’s also a yes. After doing the turns, wrap it very well in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, the foil. Don’t keep it in the freezer for more than a week or two–the ice crystals that will form from the moisture in the dough can damage the yeast and affect the dough’s ability to rise. To thaw the dough, place it in the refrigerator overnight, and when it’s thawed roll, fill, rise and bake.

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, please let me know in the comments below or by email at [email protected]. I love hearing from my readers!

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