Back when I was an uncultured swine, I thought croissants were the crescent rolls that you bought in the refrigerated section of the grocery store and just finished baking at home. When people kept bragging about their “flaky” croissants, I always scratched my head and thought in my head, “Bish, wut?” Those Pillsbury crescent rolls were nothing close to flaky.

Now that I’m being more reckless with my money on food and trying new things, I realized that there was, in fact, a difference between the two. But unless you’ve got an entire day to make pastries, ain’t nobody got time to make those flaky rolls from scratch. That’s why we used puff pastry to make these parmesan croissants – they taste just like the ones you can get at your local bakery (or, to be honest, Starbucks) – but better, thanks to the cheese.

Flaky Parmesan Croissants

  • Prep Time:20 minutes
  • Cook Time:20 minutes
  • Total Time:40 minutes
  • Servings:Makes 16 Croissants
  • Medium

    Ingredients

  • 1 roll puff pastry, thawed
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1 egg
Photo by Jedd Marrero
  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 375°F.

  • Step 2

    Lightly flour your work surface and unfold the puff pastry.

    Photo by Jedd Marrero
  • Step 3

    Cut the dough into half horizontally, then divide into three sections vertically. Cut each resulting rectangle diagonally.

    Photo by Jedd Marrero
  • Step 4

    Pull a triangle out and sprinkle cheese at the larger end. Roll the dough from the bottom up, curve the ends, and place on a greased baking pan.

    Photo by Jedd Marrero
  • Step 5

    Lightly whisk the egg, and use a pastry brush to spread the egg wash on the croissants. Sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

    Photo by Jedd Marrero
  • Step 6

    Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying the flaky goodness.

    Photo by Jedd Marrero