Strawberry Croissants
Delicious, flaky, buttery, golden croissants filled with irresistible vanilla cream and fresh strawberries are the perfect breakfast or dessert option. I cannot say how much I love these — and the best thing is that they come together fast!
Fast and croissants do not usually go hand in hand, but with quality puff pastry, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful croissant whenever you want them.
The best thing is that they look like they are bought from the bakery, thanks to the quality puff pastry!
These croissants are filling, packed with delicious buttery and strawberry flavors, and a great option when you want something gourmet and to impress your family and friends!
How To Choose The Best Puff Pastry
The best puff pastry is made with butter! Although you may not know the exact type of butter used in the puff pastry, it is important to always choose butter as the main and only source of fat.
Do not go with cheap substitutions or puff pastry with shortening — puff pastry made with these will have a far inferior taste to those made with butter alone.
Read the labels and ingredients list carefully. There are different brands to choose from, and I know the Dufour puff pastry is the real thing. If you want a GF option, you can choose Schar puff pastry.
Is There A Difference Between Store-Bought Or Homemade Puff Pastry?
In all honesty, I think most of us wouldn’t know the difference between a freshly baked croissant made with either homemade or store-bought puff pastry.
Homemade puff pastry will puff a little more impressively and have a more delicate texture, but the difference between these two is very small.
The only real advantage of homemade puff pastry is that you can choose the butter you will be using — a high-quality butter means a huge difference in the flavor of the finished pastry!
How To Make Vanilla Pastry Cream
Crème patisserie is a delicious, rich, creamy custard made with eggs, sugar, starch, and milk. This vanilla cream (or pastry cream) is an essential part of these croissants, and also other sweet pastries!
This pastry cream is often used for profiteroles, fruit tarts, and to make a delicious French dessert — mille-feuille! So yes, it is always good to have a recipe that works.
The beauty of this recipe is that it is gluten-free — to make it dairy-free, just use any plant-based milk. Since vanilla is the key flavor, make sure you are using a good vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, vanilla powder, or genuine vanilla beans.
Here’s how to make vanilla pastry cream at home (exact ingredients in the recipe below):
- Heat milk in a saucepot until it starts to simmer.
- In the meantime, whisk eggs with sugar until fluffy. Stir in cornstarch.
- Gradually add some milk to temper the eggs. Whisk them well, then pour back the egg mixture into the milk. Set the egg mixture over the stove and cook stirring until it boils.
- Reduce heat to low heat and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The cream should be smooth with no lumps or inconsistencies.
- Finally, add some butter and vanilla extract so you have a silky cream. If you are using vanilla bean, add it to the milk.
- Transfer the cream to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming.
- Once the cream is completely cooled, you can use it as desired.
Strawberry Croissants
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 croissants
Ingredients
For the croissants:
- 1lb puff pastry, thawed
For the vanilla cream:
- 1⅔ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
For garnish (optional):
- Fresh strawberries, as desired
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
1. Make the vanilla cream; in a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Stir in cornstarch.
2. Add milk into the saucepot and bring to a simmer. Pour some of the milk into the egg yolks to temper them. Whisk the egg yolks with milk until they are tempered.
3. Add the tempered egg yolks to the milk in the saucepot and set it over the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking, then reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Cook the cream until it is smooth and gently thickened. Stir in vanilla and butter until you have a silky cream.
5. Transfer the cream to a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until it’s time to assemble the croissants.
6. Make the croissants; place the piece of puff pastry on the dusted kitchen counter. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to 3mm thick.
7. Cut the dough into triangles, making sure their wider edge is around 3 inches long. Gently stretch each triangle and roll them into a croissant, starting from the wider size.
8. Place the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them proof for roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°F.
9. Make the egg wash; beat the egg with milk and brush the croissants.
10. Bake the croissants in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the croissants on a wire rack to cool down.
11. To assemble; fill a piping bag with vanilla cream. Cut the croissants in half, but do not cut them all the way through. Pipe some of the vanilla cream onto the croissant and top with strawberries.
12. Close the croissant and dust it with powdered sugar.
Notes
Baking croissants made from puff pastry is very easy if you know how to. It isn’t just about rolling them up and baking. To get the perfect croissants, here is what to do:
- Always thaw your dough completely. Dough that is partially frozen will not inflate well or bake as it should.
- Do not roll the puff pastry too thin, but also not too thick. The right thickness is around 3mm. once you roll the puff pastry, cut it into triangles. Take each triangle, stretch it gently, and roll. Do not roll to a dense croissant, just relax your hands.
- To have the golden color of your croissants, brush them with a beaten egg. Do not go over the cut edges, where the layers will appear.
- Let the croissants sit on the counter for 30 minutes so they are all nicely set and a little puffed from the room temperature.
- Bake the croissants at 375°F for 20 minutes. Don’t overdo it!
Strawberry Croissants
These croissants are filling, packed with delicious buttery and strawberry flavors, and a great option when you want something gourmet and to impress your family and friends!
Ingredients
For the croissants:
- 1lb puff pastry, thawed
For the vanilla cream:
- 1⅔ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
For garnish (optional):
- Fresh strawberries, as desired
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
1. Make the vanilla cream; in a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Stir in cornstarch.
2. Add milk into the saucepot and bring to a simmer. Pour some of the milk into the egg yolks to temper them. Whisk the egg yolks with milk until they are tempered.
3. Add the tempered egg yolks to the milk in the saucepot and set it over the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking, then reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Cook the cream until it is smooth and gently thickened. Stir in vanilla and butter until you have a silky cream.
5. Transfer the cream to a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until it's time to assemble the croissants.
6. Make the croissants; place the piece of puff pastry on the dusted kitchen counter. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to3mm thick.
7. Cut the dough into triangles, making sure their wider edge is around 3 inches long. Gently stretch each triangle and roll them into a croissant, starting from the wider size.
8. Place the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them proof for roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°F.
9. Make the egg wash; beat the egg with milk and brush the croissants.
10. Bake the croissants in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the croissants on a wire rack to cool down.
11. To assemble; fill a piping bag with vanilla cream. Cut the croissants in half, but do not cut them all the way through. Pipe some of the vanilla cream onto the croissant and top with strawberries.
12. Close the croissant and dust it with powdered sugar.
Notes
Baking croissants made from puff pastry is very easy if you know how to. It isn’t just about rolling them up and baking. To get the perfect croissants, here is what to do:
* Always thaw your dough completely. Dough that is partially frozen will not inflate well or bake as it should.
* Do not roll the puff pastry too thin, but also not too thick. The right thickness is around 3mm. once you roll the puff pastry, cut it into triangles. Take each triangle, stretch it gently, and roll. Do not roll to a dense croissant, just relax your hands.
* To have the golden color of your croissants, brush them with a beaten egg. Do not go over the cut edges, where the layers will appear.
* Let the croissants sit on the counter for 30 minutes so they are all nicely set and a little puffed from the room temperature.
* Bake the croissants at 375°F for 20 minutes. Don't overdo it!
Strawberry Substitutes
In case you’re allergic to strawberries or just don’t like the flavor, don’t worry — you can use any berry or fruit (though I’d recommend blueberries or raspberries) as they’ll pair amazingly with the vanilla pastry cream!
When I am out of berries, I spread a layer of berry jam over the vanilla cream. For a different version, sometimes I like to add stewed apples with some cinnamon.
