Make Cheddar's Famous Honey Butter Croissants Right At Home

Among the many popular Cheddar's menu items are honey butter croissants. Many patrons rave about these famous (and free) croissants, although reviewers sometimes complain about inconsistent quality, saying they sometimes recieve old or raw croissants. You can avoid these problems by making a homemade version of these flaky treats yourself.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for copycat Cheddar's honey butter croissants. You'll need to dedicate time to making them, but Bottalico has made the process a little easier by using the rough puff pastry method for the dough. Classic croissant and puff pastry recipes are more finicky. They require making a butter block and many rolling, folding, and chilling steps to create thousands of layers of unmelted butter between thin layers of dough. Croissant dough also requires yeast and rising times. The rough puff method uses cubed butter and has fewer folding steps and less chilling time. What all the versions have in common is that when the pastry bakes, the butter holds the layers of dough apart while they cook, creating the layers, and it also releases steam as it melts in the oven, causing the layers to puff away from each other.

You can make a shortcut version with store-bought puff pastry, but consider trying the full recipe. You'll be rewarded with beautiful flaky, melt-in-your-mouth croissants and the satisfaction of having made them yourself. The additional sweet, rich touch of the honey butter drizzle turns these into decadent restaurant-quality treats you can enjoy without leaving home.

To make the dough, you will need all-purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, and cold unsalted butter. It's very important that the butter is very cold, so don't let it sit out before using it. You'll also need ice water. While it's not imperative, using a European-style butter can give you better results because it's higher in fat.

Have a beaten egg and water on hand to make an egg wash. Finally, you'll need unsalted butter, honey, and cornstarch to make the honey butter drizzle. The cornstarch thickens the mixture a little to keep the drizzled lines more distinct.

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the cubed butter and toss with your hands until coated and evenly distributed.

Working as quickly as you can and handling the dough as little as possible, add ¼ cup of ice water and mix the dough, tossing and pressing with your hands until it starts to stick together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed, until a rough ball forms. Freeze the dough for 10 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it with your hands into a rectangle no more than 1 inch high. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle about ⅓-inch high, flipping and replenishing the floured surface as needed. Smooth cracks and keep the shape rectangular with your hands. Do not roll the dough with too much force.

Fold the two short ends in so they meet at the center.

Fold the entire slab in half. It will now be a rectangle 4 layers tall.

Rotate the slab 90 degrees to the left or right and roll it out again into a large rectangle about ⅓-inch high.

Fold it as before to create a rectangle 4 layers tall again. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Repeat the rolling and folding steps 2 more times. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes in between steps (or up to 24 hours if making the dough ahead).

Preheat the oven to 450 F

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a long rectangle of about 12x16 inches and ⅛-inch high.

Trim the edges with a knife to make them even.

Cut the dough into 12 narrow triangles.

Roll up each triangular piece of dough, starting at the wide end. Place the croissants 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure the small points are on the undersides so they don't unroll while baking. Chill the pan for 30 minutes.

Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl to make the egg wash.

Brush the egg wash onto the tops of the croissants.

Bake for 20-22 minutes until browned and flaky, and then lower the heat to 325 F, loosely cover the croissants with a piece of aluminum foil, and bake for 10-12 more minutes.

Meanwhile, make the honey butter. Place the butter and honey in a small saucepan on medium-low and stir to combine until the butter is fully melted.

Sprinkle the cornstarch into the pan and whisk vigorously until evenly combined.

Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened.

Transfer the honey butter to a dish and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes, until it thickens more and drips very slowly off a spoon.

Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.

Drizzle the honey butter onto the croissants.

Serve warm.

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Ruff puff pastry doesn't take as much time as traditional puff pastry or croissant dough, but it still takes time and must be made with care to turn out well. Although it's not rolled out as many times or chilled as long as with the traditional puff pastry method, the pastry must still be rolled out and chilled several times.

The biggest rough puff pastry mistake is letting the dough sit out too long. It's very important to work quickly and not let the butter melt or soften too much. Don't handle the dough more than necessary, because the warmth of your hands will soften it, and don't roll it too hard with the rolling pin. The butter needs to be very cold. If the butter is softening too much as you work, let the dough chill again. The reason very cold butter is used is to keep it separate from the dough. If the butter melts into the dough, the final result won't be as flaky.

You'll also want to bake the rough puff pastry in a very hot oven, around 450 F. This will create a beautiful puff. You can lower the temperature after the pastry is golden to cook the inside well without burning the top. This hard work won't be for nothing. You'll end up with pastry with hundreds of layers of golden, crispy, flaky, rich, and buttery goodness.

One way to customize these croissants is by adding a sweet filling. Spread the filling on the triangular pieces of dough after you cut them out and before you roll them up. Use your favorite jam flavors, or, if you love chocolate, spread Nutella on the dough or add chocolate chips. Almond cream and pistachio cream are delicious nutty fillings you can spread on the dough to fill your croissants. For extra texture and crunch, sprinkle some chopped almonds or pistachios on the cream before you roll them up. Pastry cream is a delicious sweet filling for croissants, but remember that the cream is applied after the pastries are baked. Fill a piping bag with cream and make a hole on the side of the croissants. Insert the piping bag and fill the center with cream.

Instead of the honey butter drizzle, you could drizzle melted chocolate or chocolate ganache on them, pipe thin lines of your favorite frosting on top, decorate them with a simple chocolate or vanilla glaze, or simply dust them with powdered sugar.

Besides filling the inside of the croissants, which leaves the croissants whole, you can cut the croissants in half and fill them, sandwich style, with a variety of sweet or savory ingredients. Sweet ingredients include berries and cream, Nutella and bananas, jam, and fresh fruit. Or, consider savory fillings such as egg salad, tomato and mozzarella, brie and olive paté, or ham and cheese.

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