Store-Bought Waffle Croissants

I love making ready-made convenience foods, from frozen muffins to honey buns , mozzarella sticks , and the humble noncrustable . A waffle iron doesn’t just cook food, it toasts and smoothes it, creating indentations and ridges that increase the available surface area for browning (and flavor). And let me tell you, waffles work wonders on store-bought croissants.

Pre-made croissants—the kind you find in the big plastic tub at Costco and other chain grocery stores—may seem a little greasy from the oil and a little bland in taste. The waffle iron awakens the oil, causing it to move and furrow, creating crispy peaks and valleys throughout the surface. The resulting dough no longer looks greasy but inviting, with a tender, flaky outside and a warm, buttery inside. Serve with butter and jam and it’s breakfast; stuff it with ham and cheese and you’ve got lunch.

How to bake a croissant

Turn on the waffle iron and let it heat up. (If it has a temperature control knob, set it to “high.”) Place a whole store-bought croissant in the center of the waffle iron, then close the lid for a minute or two until the croissant is warm and fragrant. with deeply browned waffle pits. Serve immediately with butter and your favorite jam.

Serve waffles with ham and cheese for lunch.

If you want something savory, cheesy and filling, fill a croissant with ham and cheese. Take your favorite pork delicacy (mine is Boar’s Head Ham) and some sliced ​​cheese (like Dill Havarti), then roll a slice of the latter into two (thin) slices of the former. Make a cut along the outer curve of the croissant and move your finger around to give the meat and cheese some space. Carefully place the ham and cheese roll into the cavity with the seam of the roll facing the inside of the croissant.

Cook the waffles as above until the outside of the croissant is browned and crispy and oozing some cheese. Enjoy immediately, with or without a little Dijon for dipping.