Thursday, November 4, 2010

Chocolate Pastries

Ever since Jared and I went to Paris about 8 years ago, we've loved Pan Au Chocolat.  It's like a croissant with chocolate rolled up in it, but it has a more tubular shape (like the picture above).  I never thought I could do anything like that at home, but once again I have been happily disproven.  I got an idea for these from a recipe I saw on TV, but I've tweaked it and changed the shape making it look more like a classic Pan Au Chocolat that you would find in Paris. The creamy filling is really wonderful, it doesn't taste cream-cheesy, it just tastes like a great creamy chocolate filling.  These would be awesome served with hot chocolate for the cold fall and winter months ahead. 

 Chocolate Pastries
1/2 C cream cheese at room temp
1 egg yolk
1 T flour
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C mini chocolate chips
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, yolk, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
Cut each sheet of pastry into 6 even pieces. Place pieces of pastry onto the parchment lined pans. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each piece of pastry. Fold one side down onto the filling, then using a pastry brush, brush it lightly with the beaten egg. Then fold the other side of pastry down onto the egg wash and pinch a little to be sure it stays down during baking. Brush top of entire pastry with a little egg wash. Leave the ends open. It will somewhat resemble an egg roll at this point.
Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.