The best way to use frozen croissant dough!
History in the making.
2021 will go down in history as “the year Edmontonians went crazy for croissants.” Thousands of people swarmed Costco’s across the city and purchased giant boxes of unbaked-frozen croissants. Northern Alberta had the enticing aroma of an upscale Patisserie in Paris. It was pure heaven! The entire city was looking for the best way to use frozen croissant dough.
101 ways to use croissants!
Understandably, plain croissants got boring, and people needed to free up freezer space. So the race was on to find the most creative way to use these little frozen, buttery nuggets of heaven!
Did you know that there are 101 ways to use croissants! You can make a sandwich, cinnamon twists, Almond Croissants……..mmmmm…. Almond Croissants! You must try this recipe for Almond Croissants! It’s a fabulous way to use day-old croissants. You can even use the croissant dough to top a meat pie? YUP!
Make that 102 ways! Introducing, the CROI-NISH!
CROI-NISH noun: The resulting pastry when making a danish with croissant dough. Created in Edmonton, Alberta, during the Great Costco Croissant Rising of 2021, by cake artist Kay Mastelero.
Kay Mastelero, a busy Mom of three (soon to be four!) and cake artist @sweetcupkayke, nearly broke the internet when she posted this picture of her now-famous Croi-nish in one of my Facebook groups. But, even though you look at the Croi-nish and think, “Lesa, I can’t make that,” Kay has been kind enough to share her step-by-step tutorial. And, if I can make these, you can make them too!
Kay’s Tutorial on how to fool your friends into thinking you have mad baking skills! (Or, as she calls it…. her Croi-nish tutorial)
Step 1:
Thaw your croissant dough for 20-30 minutes; any longer and it becomes too sticky. But, the time will vary depending on the temperature of your home. (fig 1)
Step 2:
Carefully unroll dough, starting with the small end. (fig 2)
Step 3:
Accept the fact that it won’t look perfect! Unrolling while the dough is still very cold makes it easier. (fig 3)
Step 4:
Take a knife or pastry cutter and cut the dough into two pieces. This will make one large Croi-nish or two small Croi-nishes. (fig 4)
Step 5:
For the large, carefully twist two halves together, starting from the smaller end. (fig 5)
Step 6:
Then roll it inside to form a bun starting from the smaller end. (fig 6)
Step 7:
Tuck the larger end underneath. (fig 7)
Step 8:
Lightly flour the bun and flatten slightly with a rolling pin. Flouring the top will prevent it from becoming too sticky. (Fig 8)
Option:
To make the small, you don’t twist the two halves together. Instead, just twist them individually and roll them into a bun like below.
Step 9:
Once it’s all rolled out (fig 9), cover with a damp towel and proof for 1 1/2 hours. (fig 10)
Step 10:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Step 11:
Once it’s done proofing, make some indents in the middle for any pie filling you will be using.
Step 12:
Add your filling of choice. Kay used canned apple pie and cherry pie filling and topped the cherry with almond slivers. (fig 12)
Step 13:
Bake the large for 25-30 min and small danishes for 20-25 min.
Note: Don’t forget to rotate your pans halfway through baking.
Step 14:
Let it cool for 10 min, drizzle with the optional glaze and enjoy!
Optional:
For the optional glaze, simply mix a bit of milk with icing sugar and add a splash of vanilla or vanilla bean paste.
Interested in seeing more of Kay’s creations? Head over to her Instagram @sweetcupkayke or send her an email at sweetcupkayke@gmail.com.
If you’re from the Edmonton area, consider joining YEG Costco Lovers Facebook group. You never know what creation Kay will come up with next!
