Mini Chocolate Croissant is made with white whole wheat flour and spelt flour. These flaky sugar-free chocolate-filled croissants or pain au chocolat in French yield 8 mini croissants without the complex lamination method. These healthy and relatively easy-to-make croissants can be made on the same day. Enjoy these mini chocolate croissants for your weekend breakfast, brunch, or tea!
One of my most endearing memories is of lazy Saturday mornings when my family would breakfast together after a hectic week of work and school. It was not only a chance to catch up, but it was also an opportunity to bond, absent daily stresses and time pressures. Our favorite breakfast item was the pain au chocolat. There is an almost dreamy and irresistible allure of combining the crisp, slightly salty croissant dough with the dark sweet charms of chocolate. The irresistible burst of flavor of biting into a freshly baked and warm pain au chocolat almost became the touchstone of a perfect beginning to the weekend.
I created this easy method of making the Mini Chocolate Croissant to teach and encourage my daughter to learn this otherwise complex pastry dish. I wanted to simplify it so she could transition to the lamination method once she is confident with this recipe. Both methods yield a flaky, buttery croissant. You will not be disappointed with this recipe it will yield flaky, crunchy croissants on the outside, with a somewhat soft (not doughy) on the inside. Yes, croissants can definitely be made healthy with whole wheat flour and other whole grains.
Origin:
Now before I get to the actual recipe here’s a little trivia. While the pain au chocolat is French, this little delectable is a source of regional controversy. While there are several theories, my favorite is that as the Parisian croissant made its way south, some creative baker in or around Bordeaux used to fill the croissant with chocolate and called it ‘Chocolatina’. This had its roots in the Occitan, a Romance language heavily used in Southern Europe. Eventually ‘chocolatina’ became ‘chocolatine’. So, next time you are in Bordeaux, be mindful to ask for a chocolatine and not a ‘pain au chocolat’!
Why use whole grains in the Mini Chocolate Croissant?
You can read more about the history of the croissant and how to make it. While many people savor the use of plain flour and sweet chocolate, which is at the heart of this delectable delight, some cannot because of the dreaded disease: diabetes.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This results in hyperglycemia, which results in raised blood glucose or sugar, and this can cause damage to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. While there is a medication that can help manage the symptoms and regulate blood sugar levels in the body, it generally also means that sufferers cannot eat everything they want, especially foods made with refined flour.
Refined grains, which include foods made with plain or all-purpose flour and refined rice (white rice) result in blood sugar surges shortly after eating. This carbohydrate-induced sugar spike is the result of the body breaking down the food into glucose molecules. While the cells in our bodies need glucose to power them, we typically consume more glucose than the body needs.
My theory is that our bodies are conditioned by our evolution to build energy reserves. These reserves are stored in the form of fat. Excess glucose is stored as fat and is consumed when we do not have sufficient energy to power our bodies. Before the Industrial Revolution, our bodies used these reserves because our lifestyles were more active. We farmed, we fished, we chopped wood, we worked the fields. We did not have the sedentary lifestyle that many of us have become used to. Also, our foods were less processed meaning our bodies did not store as much fat as we do now.
Our bodies use the hormone insulin to convert fat into energy. Insulin helps manage blood sugar by regulating the entry of glucose into the cells. When blood sugar levels increase, insulin increases, and vice versa. Our bodies convert foods made from refined grains very quickly and therefore we absorb the glucose more rapidly, causing sugar spikes and consequently, our pancreas reacts more quickly. The spikes and ebbs are damaging. Therefore, the steadier and more predictable (at least to your body) the blood sugar levels are, the steadier the levels of insulin. Consequently, your body will tune itself to optimize the use of fats.
If we are what we eat, then it is time to help our bodies save us. We need to help our bodies process foods more slowly, which is why whole grains are important. In a nutshell, whole grains are unrefined which makes our bodies take longer to break them down, meaning that there are little to no sugar spikes enabling our bodies to process the glucose. Therefore, consuming these Mini Chocolate Croissants made with whole grains and sugar-free chocolate is a healthy alternative to all-purpose flour croissants.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can I use this recipe to make Mini Chocolate Croissants with all-purpose flour?
Yes, you can use this recipe to make croissants using all-purpose flour. The only step I would change is to increase the thickness of the croissants when rolling them. I would roll the dough sheet to 1/2″ thickness and follow the instructions on how to make the croissants and bake them.
2. Are these croissants light and airy?
Any baked good using whole wheat flour will not be very light and airy. However, this recipe will give you a flaky, somewhat crispy exterior with a soft interior. The croissants will not be doughy or mushy like the store-bought ones. What they lack in airiness they make up for in nutrition and a flaky texture. You will enjoy its naturally sweet taste, and thin layers of somewhat crispy croissants without the guilt.
3. Should I use the lamination technique to make the Mini Chocolate Croissant?
I have used a much simpler flaky pastry technique to make these croissants while teaching my daughter how to make them. This method seemed much simpler for my daughter, yielding similar results. Lamination is the more common technique for croissants but this method works equally well.
If you’ve tried this recipe or have questions, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share (below) your thoughts, comments, or any questions that you might have. And if you like my recipes, you could subscribe to my mailing list for the latest recipes that will be delivered to your inbox. From my pen to your table, Bon Appetit!
Ingredients:
- Flour: white whole wheat flour and spelt flour
- Fat: unsalted butter
- Liquids: milk and filtered water
- Leavening agent: instant/active dry yeast
- Chocolate: sugar-free chocolate chips; feel free to use regular baking chocolate bars or chips
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this dish. Please refer to the recipe card for the measurements.
How to make the Mini Chocolate Croissant:
- Prepare the ingredients.
2. Place the whole wheat and spelt flour sifted with salt in the stand mixer with the dough attachment. Add the instant yeast, sugar and half the butter, and beat until the dough resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add milk and beat/knead until combined. Slowly, add a little water at a time until the dough comes together. Cover the bowl with a wet towel and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the dough on a rolling surface. Cut them into 5 portions using a pastry cutter. Take each chunk of dough and roll it into a thin rectangle ⅛” thick. Cut the other half of the butter into 4 portions. Take each portion of butter and slice it into smaller pieces or cubes shown in the image below. Arrange the slices of butter on the rolled sheet.
5. Take another chunk of dough and repeat the above step of rolling and arranging the butter pieces on top. Continue this step until you get to the final sheet on top, alternating a layer of butter pieces with the dough sheets.
6. Divide the dough into 16 squares. Roll each sheet into ⅛” thickness, more like an elongated rectangle or oblong 3″ wide and approximately a foot long. Place the sugar-free chocolate chips on one end and start rolling over them by tucking the chips in. Brush with milk or egg wash on top.
7. Place the Mini Chocolate Croissants on a lightly greased baking tray, leaving at least two inches of space between them. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden on top. Use a spatula or a rounded knife to lift the croissants from the tray gently.
8. Serve the Mini Chocolate Croissants with coffee or tea.
Tips:
- Please add water a little at a time until the dough comes together. You will need a firm and slightly soft dough but not too soft and sticky. Different brands of whole wheat flour can absorb different amounts of liquids, so add some water and wait for a few turns of the dough attachment before adding more water again.
- If using all-purpose flour to make these Mini Chocolate Croissants, roll them to 1/2″ thickness since plain flour is not as dense as whole wheat flour, allowing the croissants to rise easily.
- Pastries made with whole wheat flour will absorb more liquids. So if you are using all-purpose flour, cut back on the liquids.
- Keep the dough chilled if working in a hot kitchen. Take out each piece of dough from the refrigerator one at a time and then roll it to avoid the butter melting as you roll.
Serving suggestion:
Serve this Mini Chocolate Croissant with coffee or tea for breakfast or as a snack for any time of the day.
Storage:
Baked and cooled Mini Chocolate Croissants can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and taste fresh the day of baking. These croissants can be frozen for 3 months. Please freeze any leftovers by layering them between wax paper in airtight containers. Reheat the croissants by thawing them in the refrigerator and baking them at the lowest temperature for 5-8 minutes or until heated.
Other breakfast bread recipes that you might like:
Mini Chocolate Croissant
Equipment
- stand mixer, oven, baking trays
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat flour
- 8 oz spelt flour
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ½ oz active dry yeast
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 8 oz butter unsalted, European
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup filtered water warm
- 2 oz chocolate chips (sugar-free)
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Place the whole wheat and spelt flour sifted with salt in the stand mixer with the dough attachment. Add the instant yeast, sugar and half the butter, and beat until the dough resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add milk and beat until combined. Slowly, add a little water at a time until the dough comes together. Cover the bowl with a wet towel and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the dough on a rolling surface. Cut them into 5 portions. Take each chunk of dough and roll into a thin rectangle ⅛" thick. Cut the other half of the butter into 4 portions. Take each portion of butter and slice it into smaller pieces or cubes. Arrange the slices of butter on the rolled sheet.
- Take another chunk of dough and repeat the above step by rolling it and arranging butter pieces on it. Continue this step until you get to the final sheet on top, alternating a layer of butter pieces with the dough sheets.
- Divide the dough into 16 squares. Roll each sheet into ⅛" thickness, more like an elongated rectangle or oblong 3" wide and approximately a foot long. Place the sugar-free chocolate chips on one end and start rolling over them by tucking the chips in. Brush with milk or egg wash on top.
- Place the Mini Chocolate Croissants on a lightly greased baking tray, leaving at least two inches of space between them. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden on top. Use a spatula or a rounded knife to lift the croissants from the tray gently.
- Serve the Mini Chocolate Croissants with coffee or afternoon tea.
Notes
- European butter has a high fat content which is ideal for making French pastries.
- Feel free to make them crescent-shaped instead of a rectangle.
Nutrition
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