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These cheese and prosciutto croissants are my go-to, make-ahead breakfast, that double as an easy appetizer this December. Buttery puff pastry layered together and baked with prosciutto and a cheesy egg filling. Made complete with both Gruyère and Gouda cheese. Top these croissants with fresh thyme and your favorite jam for a sweet and savory holiday breakfast that everyone will love.
You’ve probably noticed, but I love a sweet breakfast, especially for the holidays. My family’s Christmas is filled with either cinnamon rolls, French toast, or monkey bread. It would not be Christmas without a sweet bread. That said, this year I’m also including something a little more savory, for those who love their bacon and eggs.
Usually our Christmas morning goes something like this. Asher will wake everyone up, since she’s the youngest…and the only one who actually wants to get up early on Christmas morning (she’s 10). We’ll wait for my brothers to drag themselves out of bed (this can take a while). And then we’ll open gifts with coffee and hot chocolate while leisurely munching on monkey bread. By mid-morning, all the gifts will have been opened. Then half the house will decide they need something more substantial to eat before they head outside to play in the snow. They’ll make eggs, bacon, and maybe even potatoes…if they’re feeling up to it.
By the time they’ve finished cooking, my parent’s kitchen looks worse than mine does after testing and photographing recipes all day. It’s a little scary. The family might know how to make eggs, but they don’t know how to clean. I’m sure some of you can relate…
In an effort to avoid the chaos and mess on Christmas morning (and save my parents from cleaning for hours). I created this recipe, that I honestly have no idea what to call, but is culinary heaven.
These croissants are a mix between a ham and cheese croissant, and an eggy quiche. And while they are not technically real croissants, they sure taste just like them. Only with the yummy addition of cheese and crispy prosciutto.
Instead of making homemade croissant dough, which is typically a two-day process, I’m using a short cut – puff pastry.
Here’s my secret to turning store bought puff pastry into a buttery croissant dough. Layer two pieces of pastry with thinly sliced, extra cold butter, and then roll it together. Putting two sheets of puff pastry together, along with just a little cold butter, will give you those extra buttery layers you love so much in a croissant.
When I tested this, I wasn’t sure how it would work. But I am pleased to say that it turned out amazing well.
Once you have the pastry sheets rolled together, cut them into 9 squares and fit them inside a muffin tin. At this point, you want to put the muffin tin in the freezer while you work on the filling. Keeping the pastry cold will result in a pastry that’s buttery and flakey. Trust me, you want that.
For the filling, I mixed together a couple of eggs yolks, whole milk, and cheese with fresh thyme to create more of a cheesy custard. It’s the perfect eggs to cheese ratio.
Before filling each muffin tin with the cheese mix, line the pastry with a very thin slice of prosciutto. Then pour in the cheese mix. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, the prosciutto is crisp, and the cheese melted.
For a little sweet and savory twist, I sprinkled the tops of each pastry with coarse sugar. Which I think is a great addition. It’s also pretty and festive, which you know I’m all about right now.
Also, I highly recommend serving these croissants with a little fruit jam or fig jam on top, raspberry is my favorite. The jam kind of makes these just like a monte cristo sandwich.
Wonderfully delicious.
One of the best things about these crescents? You can make them ahead, and then just bake the morning of. So perfect for busy holiday mornings.
Also, while my original thought for these was as more of a breakfast item. I do believe these croissants would make for a delicious side dish or perfect appetizers as well. You could serve warm or at room temp. And if you drizzle them with a little raspberry jam, they’ll make a festive addition to your appetizer table.
If you make these Cheese and Prosciutto Croissants, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Cheese and Prosciutto Croissants
Servings: 9
Calories Per Serving: 1581 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, cold, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
- 9 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
- fruit jam, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. 2. Unfold each sheet of pastry. Place the butter slices in an even layer on one sheet of pastry. Place the second sheet of pastry over the butter. Both sheets of pastry should be stacked, one on top of the other. Now roll the pastry out into roughly a 12×14 inch rectangle. Cut into 9 squares. 3. Fit each square inside the prepared muffin tin. Transfer the pan to the freezer to chill. 4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, 1 egg, mustard, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in the cheeses. 5. Remove the muffin pan from the freezer and line a piece of prosciutto on the inside edge. Evenly divide the cheese mixture between the pastries. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet. Brush the top edges of the pastries with the remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and the cheese has melted. Serve warm with fresh thyme.
Notes
If you’d like to make these night before, simply prepare the croissants, add the fillings, and then refrigerate overnight. The following morning, remove the pan from the fridge and let sit on the counter while the oven preheats. Bake as directed, adding on an addition 5 minutes of cooking time.
Can you freeze these?
Hi! I haven’t ever tried these frozen before, so sorry! xT
We liked this a lot – I made it for Christmas Eve brunch for my family. I had to use ham because our teenage son at all the prosciutto last night. In any case, it was delicious but I bet it would be better with prosciutto! The raspberry jam makes this recipe. The only reason it didn’t get 5 stars is the calorie count!
Hi Kelly! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
Just checking- only one of these bad boys is over 1,500 calories?
Hi Sam,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Woah! An easy, make-ahead, savory, and DELICIOUS breakfast dish. Made for an office holiday dinner, and again for Christmas. DO NOT forget to grease the muffin pans! Might make again next weekend. No modifications, other than switching Sopresseta for Prosciutto when I ran out. (Could be an option for others, maybe Canadian bacon?) Could also see changing up the cheeses or herbs if you had certain preferences.
Hey Amy,
Happy Wednesday!!🎇 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xx
So yummy and easy! And yes the jelly is key!!
Hey Anna,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it. Have the best week:) xx
These were delicious! I served them to guests & they raved about them! I assembled them ahead & froze them unbaked then thawed in the fridge overnight & baked them right before serving.
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out!! xx
Amazing! My partner said they were the best baked goods I’ve ever made.
Hey there,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
My family and I love these! They have officially become a Christmas morning tradition. We have a couple vegetarians in my fam (myself included), so I just leave the prosciutto out of a few of time (and add more cheese to those lol) and they’ve always turned out great! Thank you so much!
Hey Jordan,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays!? xx
I misread the instructions and accidentally put both eggs into the cheese mixture! Are there any adjustments you would make? I’m prepping it for tomorrow!
I would just keep everything the same:) Let me know how the recipe turns out! xTieghan
Looks incredible! Did you ever try letting the dough rest between filling them and baking them?
Hi Jess! I haven’t tried that yet, but thanks so much for the tip! xTieghan
This looks delicious! Could you make these, cook them and then freeze them? How would you reheat? Thanks!
Hey Maggie,
I probably wouldn’t bake them and then freeze, you could assemble, freeze, and then bake. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made these for my mother (and me) for Mother’s Day brunch and was blown away! One of my favorite HBH recipes flavor-wise. While it is EASY to put together, it isn’t QUICK to put together when you factor in thawing the puff pastry, placing the butter, rolling it out, etc. But I’m glad to see I can do it the night before to save time the day-of, so I’ll definitely try that next time because I WILL be making these again. Thanks, Tieghan, for another winner!
Hey Blayre,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! xTieghan