Chocolate Chip Childhood

When I was little, my sister and I use to craft our own candy bars by filling a plastic sandwich bag with chocolate chips, placing it in a sun patch on the living room floor to melt, and then putting it in the freezer to harden (more or less) into a candy bar shape. Sometimes I would add nuts if I was feeling fancy. Candy making safe for kids! It could be all the rage.

Eventually I upgraded to filling Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls with chocolate chips to bake my own chocolate croissants. (There were always chocolate chips in the house thanks to my family of chocoholics.) I don't remember ever having a chocolate croissant as a kid so have no idea how I came up with that masterpiece. Maybe it was from watching a Bugs Bunny episode with Pepé Le Pew...

Anyway, I've upgraded my childhood chocolate croissant experiment by using frozen puff pastry and really excellent chocolate. It's closer to the real thing but still super simple. (The day I actually make my own puff pastry, someone please tell me that I'm out of my mind. I live in New York and can just go to Balthazar, or other fabulous French bakery to buy my croissants!) I suggest splurging on the good puff pastry if you can find it, otherwise ye olde grocery store brand will work if you're desperate. I made mine by folding the dough in a triangular shape around the chocolate (just like I used to fold the American flag back when I was the Safety Captain in the sixth grade) but you can just roll them up for ease. King Arthur Flour sells chocolate batons just for this use. Hmmm...what if baton twirlers twirled chocolate batons? Now that would take talent!



Quick Chocolate Croissants
(Adapted from The Ski House Cookbook)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into 8 squares
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate, or 8 chocolate batons
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush one edge of a puff pastry square with the egg wash. Place 1 tablespoon chocolate (or baton) on the opposite edge of the pastry square and roll up the dough tightly. Press the edge with the egg wash into the dough to close. Place the pastry roll seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and chocolate.

2. Brush the tops of the pastry rolls with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until the pastries are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 pastries.