[ Today, we share a favorite post from the early days of our blog. Enjoy!]

Mama deserves to be spoiled on her special day, and what better way to say I  love you,  than with a homemade chocolate treat? I like to call this little gem Pain au Chocolat. That’s French for bread with chocolate, yet sounds so much nicer. The real deal is a sweetened flaky pastry wrapped around a fine chocolate bar and baked. You can replicate this same wonderfulness at home. Serve this for dessert, an afternoon snack, or breakfast if you’re being super indulgent. It looks great, tastes amazing, and you made it all by yourself!

For ingredients you’ll need a box of puff pastry, bag of chocolate chips (or jar of good quality jam, if you prefer your Pain au Chocolat without the chocolate) and coarse sugar.

We’re just going to cheat a little bit. First off, we are not going to spend 6 hours laminating our own dough. “Laminating” is a technique in which pastry dough is rolled paper thin, brushed with butter, and repeated layer upon layer. Becoming a master at this takes years of apprenticeship, so we’ll skip that step! We are going to buy puff pastry. Puff pastry is readily available at most grocery stores; it’s kept in the freezer section, often near the fruits or the pie crusts and bread.

TIP: When you buy your puff pastry, get it at least a day before you want to use it. It is easiest to work with when it’s been thawed in the fridge overnight.

The next ingredient will be chocolate chips. I’m willing to bet there may already be a bag of those lurking about in your house. If not, then you have the option of getting milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. You’ll know what mom likes best.

If mama doesn’t like chocolate (gasp!), then you can fill the pastry with a good quality jam. Bonne Maman is a wonderful brand with amazing cherry preserves. And it means Good Mother, so we are continuing both our French theme and our ode to the best mom ever.

The last ingredient is coarse sugar. You aren’t compelled to use it, but it makes a much more lovely presentation than regular granulated. Coarse sugar is usually found down the baking aisle, or with the cake decorating items. There are lots of colors to choose from. I like clear the best, but knock yourself out. Maybe your mama’s favorite color is hot pink! Make sure the granules are nice and big. They’ll be the sparkly glitter atop your masterpiece.

Let’s get ready to make our Pain au Chocolat.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or foil. The puff pastry box will contain two sheets of dough. Each will make three treats. Use one sheet or both, depending on how many you want. Lay the sheet out on the parchment paper and you will see the three lines where it was folded. Cut along those lines with a knife or pizza cutter to make three separate strips.

Whether you choose chocolate or jam, cover the bottom half of the dough with your filling, taking care to leave the sides and bottom clear. Now you can use cream, milk, or even water to “glue” the sides together. Use a pastry brush and dab a bit around the sides and edges near the filling.

Fold the empty top crust down over the bottom with the chips or jam. Use a fork and press the tines flat around the edges to seal the sides. Now poke the tines into the top of the pastry three different places. This is to let the hot steam out as it cooks.

Brush the top with a bit more of your cream/milk/water and then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. If the pastries ended up too close together, you can gently scoot them to where they all have more room. Now pop the baking sheet in the 400 degree oven and bake for 14 minutes.

When the time is up they will be golden brown and very puffed up! Let cool a few moments before sliding onto a pretty plate and serving to your dear mama with a glass of milk or a mug of coffee. You can also garnish with a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream. I think this is best eaten warm, but it is also nice at room temperature.

I hope the whole family enjoys this treat. It is simple to make, can have many variations (think a mix of chocolate chips and raspberry jam), and it is a wonderful way to show your love for that special mom in your life.

Happy Mother’s Day, mama!

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Pain au Chocolat  (download printable Pain Au Chocolat recipe )

Ingredients

• 1 box puff pastry (for 6 pastries)
• Chocolate chips (any kind)
• Good quality jam (optional)
• Coarse sugar
• Milk or cream (or water)

Directions

Thaw puff pastry in refrigerator overnight.

When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold puff pastry sheets on parchment paper and, using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice into thirds, cutting along folds.

Spoon chocolate chips (and/or jam, if desired) over bottom half of the pastry sheet, leaving space along the edges. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the edges of the pastry with milk or cream, or water.

Fold the top half of the pastry sheet over filling and seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Poke fork into top of each pastry in three different places to allow steam to vent. Brush tops with milk or cream (or water) and sprinkle with coarse sugar, as desired.

Bake for 14 minutes or until the pastries are puffed up and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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and you’ll find more posts by our friend Ms. Sam HERE.