Chocolate Croissant Breakfast Bake (Printable Format)

Buttery croissants baked in vanilla custard with melted chocolate for a rich morning treat.

# What You Need:

→ Pastry Base

01 - 4 large all-butter croissants, preferably day-old, cut into large pieces

→ Chocolate Filling

02 - 4.25 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips

→ Custard Mixture

03 - 4 large eggs
04 - 1.5 cups whole milk
05 - 0.5 cup heavy cream
06 - 0.5 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
08 - Pinch of salt

→ Optional Topping

09 - 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, for dusting
10 - Fresh berries, for serving

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Arrange the croissant pieces evenly in the prepared dish. Scatter chopped chocolate evenly over and between the croissant pieces.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
04 - Pour the custard mixture slowly and evenly over the croissants, lightly pressing down so all pieces soak up the mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
05 - Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.
06 - Cool for 10 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar. Serve warm, with fresh berries if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Tastes like a chocolate croissant from a French bakery but requires zero pastry skills
  • The overnight option means you can wake up like royalty with almost zero morning effort
02 -
  • Dont skip the pressing down step or youll end up with dry bread patches floating in custard
  • The center should still have a slight wobble when you remove it from the oven
03 -
  • Freeze extra croissants when they go on sale and thaw them overnight in the fridge
  • Use a glass baking dish so you can see if the custard is fully set on the bottom