The Crispy Trick To Make Use Of Stale Croissants

The cool thing about bread is that when it's less than perfect, you don't necessarily have to bid it farewell. Turn hard sourdough into the star of your Thanksgiving stuffing or add oil to your in-progress homemade bread to amplify the texture and create a softer dough. And much like you can with stale traditional loaves, you can bring your stale croissants to life with the simple but efficient trick of placing them in a waffle iron. This step makes for a buttery and tasty breakfast combination that appears to have originated in Dublin and NYC, but became truly popular in Korea, where this decadent combination was deemed the "croffle."

You may not be making a croffle from scratch, but this trick gets you pretty close. To best enjoy this croissant-waffle hybrid, cook your croissant on your waffle iron for 1 to 2 minutes on a medium setting until it turns golden brown. Optionally, brush your croissant with an egg wash before placing it in your waffle iron for an extra shiny and lovely golden finish. The croissant should become crispy on the outside, while maintaining some softness and chewiness within. Afterwards, you can top your croissant with whipped cream, berries, nut butter, maple syrup, jam — whatever you fancy! You can even opt for savory toppings such as cheese or avocado. 

This hack also works on fresh and frozen croissants. Be sure to stick to a similar cooking time for fresh croissants, and add 3 to 5 minutes for frozen ones. And remember that baked croissants typically remain fresh for about a day at room temperature and up to a week when refrigerated.

While a waffle iron is great for reviving stale croissants, you can easily use the appliance to upgrade more household foods. Grilled cheese sandwiches, banana bread, and hash browns are just a few of the foods worth putting in a waffle iron for a crispy and flaky finish. If you prefer using batter but would like to try something more unique, opt for an upgraded boxed blueberry muffin recipe, then cook the batter in a waffle iron like you normally would with traditional batter. Keep in mind that the batter will still taste like a muffin, but should have a uniquely crispy finish.

Although these foods are perfectly tasty on their own, being creative with your food can be so fun. If you're feeling inspired and don't yet own a waffle iron, Cuisinart's Round Classic Waffle Maker is a high-rated affordable option that's perfect for beginners. For a compelling upgrade try its top-rated Double Flip Belgian Waffle Maker, which comes with five-setting browning control and allows for multiple waffles to be cooked at once.