Blueberry Cream Cheese Croissant Casserole (Printable Version)
Buttery croissants layered with cream cheese and blueberries, baked in rich custard until golden.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pastry and Filling
01 - 6 large croissants, preferably day-old
02 - 1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed and drained)
03 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
05 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
→ Custard
06 - 4 large eggs
07 - 1 1/2 cups whole milk
08 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
09 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
→ Topping
10 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
11 - Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Slice croissants into 1-2 inch pieces. Arrange half of the croissant pieces in the bottom of the prepared dish. Scatter half of the blueberries evenly over the croissants.
03 - In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Dollop or spread the mixture evenly over the croissant and berry layer.
04 - Layer the remaining croissant pieces and blueberries on top of the cream cheese filling, distributing evenly.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, and 1/3 cup sugar until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the casserole, pressing the croissants gently to ensure they soak up the liquid.
06 - Drizzle melted butter over the top of the casserole. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the croissants to absorb the custard.
07 - Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
08 - Let cool for 10 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar and serving warm.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It turns stale bakery croissants into something that tastes like you spent hours planning it.
- The cream cheese swirls create little pockets of tangy sweetness throughout every bite.
02 -
- I learned the hard way that skipping the 10 minute soak leaves dry patches in the center.
- Covering with foil for the last 10 minutes saves the top if it browns faster than expected.
03 -
- Cube your croissants the night before and leave them uncovered to stale slightly for perfect absorption.
- A handful of chopped pecans sprinkled over the top before baking adds a wonderful crunch.