Pain au chocolat and smart croissants

I can provide you the “smart” versions of these classic French pastries, namely the simpler and faster versions that most often use ready-made puff pastry. Let’s start with the Pain au Chocolat.

Smart Pain au Chocolat

Ingredients

• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• Dark chocolate sticks or chocolate chips
• 1 egg for brushing
• Icing sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into rectangles of about 8x10 cm.
3. Place a chocolate stick or a handful of chocolate chips at one end of each rectangle.
4. Roll up the puff pastry starting from the chocolate side, wrapping it completely. Seal the edge lightly with your fingers.
5. Transfer the pain au chocolat onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between them, as they will puff up during baking.
6. Lightly beat the egg and brush it onto the surface of the rolls to give shine and color.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the pain au chocolat turn golden.
8. Let cool slightly before serving, and if desired, dust with icing sugar.

Smart Croissants

Ingredients

• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• 1 egg for brushing
• Icing sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into long, narrow triangles.
3. Roll up each triangle starting from the wide base towards the tip, forming the classic croissant shape.
4. Slightly bend the ends to take on a crescent shape.
5. Arrange the croissants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Beat the egg and brush the croissants to give them color and shine.
7. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Let the croissants cool for a few minutes before serving, and if desired, sprinkle them with icing sugar.

A curiosity: the “pain au chocolat” is known in some parts of France also as “chocolatine”. Additionally, despite being famous worldwide as a French sweet, its origins are attributed to Vienna, Austria.