Croissant French Toast – Mini croissants are dipped in a rich custard and fried until crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside
French toast has been apart of my life since I was a little girl. We made French toast at home way more often than we did pancakes. I loved it then but it’s since fallen out of my diet as an adult.
Until now.
I recently tried the most incredible French toast of my life. It was buttery, creamy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I absolutely loved it. It could even stand on its own without maple syrup – that’s how good it was!
I had to recreate this French toast at home for myself. And by George, I think I’ve done it! The texture and flavor is all there. And it’s incredibly easy to make.
Check out my Croissant French Toast!
Creamy French Toast vs Eggy
Upon researching French toast recipes, I realized that there are two camps for French toast preferences:
- Eggy French Toast – A French toast made with a custard mostly made up of eggs, with some milk or cream
- Creamy French Toast – A French toast made with a more balanced custard of eggs and milk or cream
Growing up, we mostly had the eggy kind of French toast, so that’s all I knew. But this French toast that blew my mind was creamier in the center so it melted in your mouth as you chewed. That texture was more my preference. Therefore, I needed to create a milkier custard.
Dry Bread is Important
The key to incredible French Toast, regardless of your custard preference, is dry bread. Dry bread absorbs liquid like a sponge. Therefore, it holds more custard without getting soggy.
Many people use day-old bread for French toast. But I rarely plan ahead like that so I toast my bread. As such, the first step in this croissant French toast is toasting the croissants. I cut the in half to expose the centers and toast them in the oven for a few minutes until slightly golden brown.
Making the custard
This custard is super easy to make. All you’re doing is whisking eggs, heavy cream, sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl shallow enough to dip the croissants in. I also add in some salt to bring out the flavor of the ingredients.
Cooking the French Toast
The toasted croissants are soaked in the custard for about a minute so they can absorb as much liquid as possible before getting soggy. Remove from the liquid and let the excess drain off. They fry the croissants in a buttered nonstick skillet over medium heat. It should take about 2 minutes per side.
Tips & Tricks
- Toasting is important. Do not skip this step! The croissants need to be dry to absorb as much custard as possible.
- Do not flatten. Many of us have the tendency to flatten the French toast as it cooks to make it cook faster, somehow. Don’t do this! You’ll squeeze out the custard and end up making the French toast dry.
- Gentle heat. Eggs are temperamental and can overcook easily. Therefore, the hottest heat you should use is medium. I even go back and forth between medium and medium-low when I see the pan getting too hot.
Croissant French Toast
Ingredients
- 16 mini croissants
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- syrup for serving
- powdered sugar and strawberries for garnish
Instructions
- Slice croissants in half, lengthwise. Lay on baking sheet, cut side up. Broil for a few minutes to toast the tops. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together. Add heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and eggs. Mix together with a fork in a whisking motion to beat the eggs well.
- Place nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. While the pan heats up, dip 6 croissant halves into egg mixture. Dunk them all the way into the custard to soak them well. Leave them for about 1 minute.
- Remove croissants from custard and let the excess drain off. Then, place cut side down on hot skillet. Cook until the bottoms brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with the rest of the croissants.
- Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar, cut strawberries, and maple syrup.
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This is genius! I just bought a bag of mini croissants and I am so excited to use them on this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
This is such a scrumptious breakfast dish! Worthy of any and all special occasions. We enjoyed this with berries and an obscene amount of maple syrup, so decadent!
Absolutely delicious recipe. Everyone in my family loved it. We are going to make it again when we have guests in couple of weeks.
What a fabulous idea for french toast! Truly decadent with the buttery croissants..this would be a nice treat to have for Mother’s Day! So yum!
Two of my favourite breakfast treats in one, croissants and French toast! Love this recipe! Going to become a weekend regular!
I loved your french toast recipe, I would not have thought of making it with croissants!
Loving this croissant french toast! So easy and delicious!
I would have never thought to do croissant french toast…this is genius!!! I can’t wait to try this!
I and my family loved this croissant french toast for breakfast! Thanks for the recipe.
I can’t wait to make this for my family! We have a big breakfast on the weekends and I’m going to surprise them with this!
I need this in my life ASAP!!! I can’t wait to make it
I love fresh croissants but after a day, the leftovers just sort of hang around. This is a good way to put them to use.
I’ve never thought to use croissants instead of bread for french toast. Genius!
Best breakfast ever! Thank you! Everyone loved it at home!
This looks delicious! Thank you for explaining why not to flatten the french toast, I have been guilty of that in the past. What a great recipe!
We love french toast! I’m going to make this fancy croissant for brunch this weekend! I can’t wait!
I used to make french toast all the time! This has inspired me to try again.
I’m always hesitant to try french toast, i think i’m gonna give it a go this time! This looks really good and easy to prepare!
I love french toast so I am excited to make this. It looks so delicious!