Description

This Croissant Breakfast Bake with Chocolate Chips and Cream Cheese is a decadent and delicious brunch recipe featuring mini croissants soaked in a creamy custard with rich chocolate chips. Baked to golden perfection, it’s a perfect make-ahead dish that combines flaky croissant goodness, luscious cream cheese custard, and melty chocolate, ideal for a cozy morning treat or special occasion breakfast.

Ingredients

Scale

Base

1 (10 to 13-oz) package mini croissants, chopped
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Custard Mixture

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1⅓ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups milk

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Instructions

Prepare Pan: Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) to ensure it’s ready for baking the dish evenly.
Assemble Base: Spread the chopped mini croissant pieces evenly in the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips uniformly over the croissants.
Mix Custard: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Then add sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended. Finally, pour in the milk and continue mixing until the custard mixture is fully combined and smooth.
Combine and Soak: Pour the custard mixture evenly over the croissant and chocolate chip layers, making sure all croissants are coated well.
Rest and Refrigerate: Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 20 minutes so the croissants begin absorbing the custard. For better results, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld thoroughly.
Bake: Place the uncovered baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard is set in the center and the top turns lightly golden brown.
Serve: Remove from the oven and serve warm for the best taste and texture experience.

Notes

For a richer custard, use whole milk or substitute with half-and-half.
Mini croissants work best because they absorb the custard evenly and offer bite-sized portions.
Feel free to add chopped nuts or berries for extra texture and flavor.
This dish can be refrigerated overnight before baking for convenient meal prep.
To reheat, warm leftovers gently in the oven to maintain crisp edges.