What happens when a croissant and muffin fall in love? You get chocolate cruffins! These buttery, flaky pastries are filled with rich chocolate, then baked to golden perfection. Imagine biting into a tender, crispy pastry that has layers of chocolatey goodness swirling inside.
Yup, cruffins are that perfect combo of fancy French pastry meets everyday muffin goodness. They’re great for a brunch, a mid-afternoon snack, or honestly, just because you’re craving something epic.
FAQs About Chocolate Cruffins
What’s a cruffin, exactly? A cruffin is the beautiful love child of a croissant and a muffin! You get the flaky layers of a croissant in the shape of a muffin, often filled with sweet or savory fillings. In this case, we’re going all out with chocolate!
How long does it take to make cruffins? From start to finish, you’re looking at about 2-3 hours, but most of that time is spent letting the dough rise. Trust me, it’s worth it for that flaky texture!
Can I make cruffins ahead of time? Totally! You can make the dough the night before, refrigerate it, and bake the next morning. Fresh cruffins for breakfast? Yes, please!
Do I need special equipment to make cruffins? Nope, just your standard muffin tin and some rolling skills! A pastry brush and rolling pin help too, but you don’t need to go out and buy anything fancy.
Fun Places to Serve These Cruffins
Brunch with friends: Be the star of the potluck with these beauties! Cruffins are an instant conversation starter and will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Morning meetings: Forget the donuts; bring cruffins to your next office gathering. They’ll upgrade that stale coffee break to a mini party.
Playdates: Kids and parents alike will go nuts for these! Set them out for an afternoon playdate, and watch them disappear in minutes.
Picnic in the park: Pack these cruffins along with some fresh fruit and lemonade. They’re great on the go, and you can eat them with one hand while lounging in the grass.
How to Store Leftover Cruffins
If (and that’s a big if) you have any leftovers, cruffins are super easy to store! Just pop them into an airtight container at room temperature, and they’ll last for about 2-3 days.
If you want them to last a little longer, toss them in the fridge for up to 5 days, but you’ll want to reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave or oven to get that warm, fresh-baked feel again. You can also freeze chocolate cruffins for up to 2 months! Just thaw and reheat when the cruffin craving strikes.
Tips for Making Cruffins With Kids
Get the kids involved! This recipe is actually really fun for little helpers. Let them roll out the dough, sprinkle the chocolate chips, and help with the filling. Here are some tips to make it even more kid-friendly:
- Rolling out the dough: Kids love rolling stuff out, so hand them a small rolling pin (or a clean jar) and let them go to town.
- Filling with chocolate: Measure out the chocolate chips and let them pipe the chocolate in. Kids will be so proud of “helping” with the baking.
- Brushing on the butter: Give them a pastry brush and let them spread the softened butter. It’s a fun way to get their hands messy (without actually making too much mess)!
- Shaping the cruffins: This might take a bit of supervision, but let them help twist and roll the dough into muffin shapes. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
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The First Time I Made Chocolate Cruffins
Okay, I have to share the first time I made chocolate cruffins. So, I was hosting this tiny brunch at my place, thinking I’d impress everyone with this fancy pastry. Well, my first batch came out a little… ugly. They were delicious, don’t get me wrong, but they definitely didn’t look like the perfect cruffins on Instagram.
But you know what? I put them out on the table anyway. My friends didn’t care how they looked; they were all about that buttery, flaky goodness. By the end of brunch, there wasn’t a single cruffin left! Moral of the story? Don’t sweat it if your cruffins aren’t picture-perfect – they’ll still taste incredible!
Why This Chocolate Cruffins Recipe Works
This recipe works for a few reasons. First, it’s all about those layers. The butter and yeast dough combo creates this incredible, flaky texture that’s light but rich at the same time. Plus, using room temperature milk helps the yeast activate properly, giving you that rise you need for fluffy pastries. The chocolate filling?
It’s just the right balance of sweet and creamy, with the heavy cream helping everything melt into gooey perfection. The best part? These chocolate cruffins are fancy enough to impress, but simple enough that anyone can make them! You don’t need to be a pastry chef to nail this recipe – just a little patience, and you’re golden.
Here are some more fun muffin recipes to try:
Chocolate Cruffins Recipe
These delicious cruffins are great for a sweet breakfast treat! Cruffins are a wonderful flaky blend of muffins and croissants.
Ingredients
- 3-4 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 Cups milk, room temp
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Instant yeast
- 4 1/2 Cups flour
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sea salt (14g)
- For filling
- 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Cut two sticks of butter thinly lengthwise.
- Arrange the butter slices on a large sheet of parchment paper, fold the parchment over them, and use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a 10-inch square. Place the butter in the refrigerator.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the milk and yeast, allowing it to sit for five minutes.
- To the yeast mixture, add flour, sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons butter, then use the dough hook attachment to mix until a dough forms, continuing for an additional 2-3 minutes without overmixing.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hours or until doubles in size.
- Remove the butter block from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before lamination.
- Punch down the dough and roll it into a 10x10inch square.
- Position the butter block onto the dough, ensuring they are aligned, then mold the butter to cover the dough.
- Fold one side to the center, then the other side over top. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Dust your work surface with flour, gently tap the dough to one inch thick using a rolling pin.
- Roll the dough into a 21x10 inch rectangle.
- Fold the left third of the rectangle toward the center, followed by the right third. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, repeating this step two more times.
- After the final fold, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Divide the dough in half and roll one piece on a floured surface to create an 8x18 inch rectangle.
- Cut the dough into one-inch strips.
- Take two strips at a time, layer one over the other about half an inch from the top and roll them into a swirl using your fingers.
- Tuck the ends underneath and pinch them to the sides of the roll.
- Place each roll in a well buttered or greased muffin tin or liner and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
- Allow the rolls to rise in the muffin tins for approximately 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake for 12 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 12 minutes.
- Take out from the oven and let cool.
- While cooling, add the chocolate chips to a microwave safe dish and melt at 30 second intervals until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar to the melted chocolate and stir, add heavy cream to create desired thickness. You want to be able to pipe it.
- Add the chocolate to a piping bag and fill the center of the cruffin.
- Lightly dust the cruffins with powdered sugar.
- Enjoy
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 556Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 23gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 86mgSodium 789mgCarbohydrates 52gFiber 2gSugar 15gProtein 7g
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Hi! I’m Nellie. I am an entrepreneur, a busy mama of 3 and a wife to my high school sweetheart. I have been sharing content for over 12 years about how to cook easy recipes, workout tips and free printables that make life a little bit easier. I have been featured in places like Yahoo, Buzzfeed, What To Expect, Mediavine, Niche Pursuits, HuffPost, BabyCenter, Mom 2.0, Mommy Nearest, Parade, Care.com, and more!
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