The Reason You Should Try Crushing Your Freshly Baked Croissants

Croissants aren't exactly the easiest pastry to perfect, so if you've made your own homemade croissants (whether they came out perfect or not), you certainly have a lot to be proud of. You may feel a bit protective of your homemade croissants, but if you're willing to try something new, you should consider crushing — yes, crushing — them. And if you're too proud of your made-from-scratch croissants, you can always use frozen or ready-to-bake versions.

The reason for crushing your fresh croissants? A fun recipe that will utilize those fresh croissants in a unique way. You may have seen the recipe floating around Instagram or Tiktok in which two flattened croissants are used to make an ice cream sandwich. If you're interested, simply use a rolling pin to flatten the croissants. Then, place two flat croissants in a pan, adding honey and brown sugar on top. Then, flip the croissant on the pan, after which you will end up with a very crispy — and candied — flat croissant. 

You can then use the two croissant pieces as the "bread" of an ice cream sandwich, placing your favorite type of ice cream inside. And if you're intrigued by the idea of flat croissants, you'll be happy to know there are plenty of ways you can integrate them into your meals. 

If you're looking for a sweet treat but don't want ice cream, you can replace it with something like a custard filling as you'd find in an eclair. For another sweet treat idea, you could use the flat croissants as the graham crackers in a s'mores recipe, filling them with roasted marshmallows and your choice of chocolate. Or, for a sweet breakfast idea, you could spread some jam atop the flat croissant, using it as toast.

But, if you'd like to avoid sweets altogether, there are plenty of savory options. One of the most popular breakfast dishes out there right now, avocado toast, would be a perfect way to utilize your flat croissants — the crunchy texture, plus buttery flavor of the croissant will make for a unique spin on the classic avocado toast. You could also opt to make a breakfast sandwich, filling the two flat croissants with items such as eggs (either fried or scrambled would work well), bacon, and cheese. Or, maybe you can save your flat croissants for lunchtime to make a sandwich — from a BLT to a turkey club, just about any type of sandwich would work in between the crunchy croissant pieces. You could even make a fancy grilled cheese sandwich with croissants, which is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Finally, you could enjoy flat croissants on their own. After all, they are perfect for anyone who likes their plain croissants on the crunchier side.