Two-Bite Chocolate Croissants

So cute and so tasty

I told a friend that I would make some Three-Bite Dutch Letters for her daughter's graduation party. I just gave the frozen pre-baked little letters to her this morning, but since I made a double batch, I somehow ended up with one fourth of a recipe of dough on my hands. So, what does any normal person do with a slab of extra puff pastry dough? She breaks up some Dove Dark Chocolate bars into little squares and wraps the chocolate with little rectangles of the dough. 
These are awesome, and I was even able to save some in the freezer to bake up fresh at a later date. I tell you, this Dutch letter dough is easy and amazing. It's not quick to make, but it's easy. And it's versatile and delicious. I'm pretty well convinced that I've eaten way too much of it over the last week.
I've had so much fun with this dough, that I want to make some more just to experiment. That will have to wait, though, as I still have about a week and half left of teaching before summer break. Then I leave for Washington DC with my 13-year-old and a group from his middle school. 
I digress. Try this out. I think you'll like it.

Two-Bite Chocolate Croissants
    --adapted from Midwest Living Magazine

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cold butter (1 pound)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup ice cold water
• 9 Dove Dark Chocolate Bars (1.44 oz. size), broken into squares
• 1/4 cup heavy cream mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

For dough, in a large mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut cold butter into 1/2-inch-thick slices (not cubes). Add butter slices to flour mixture; toss until slices are coated and separated.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together egg and ice water. Add all at once to flour mixture. Using a spoon, quickly mix (butter will remain in large pieces and flour will not be completely moistened).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth or wax paper. Knead the dough 10 times by pressing and pushing dough together to form a rough-looking ball, lifting pastry cloth (or wax paper) if necessary to press the dough together. Shape the dough into a rectangle (dough still will have some dry-looking areas). Make corners as square as possible. Slightly flatten dough. Working on a well-floured pastry cloth, roll dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Fold 2 short sides to meet in center; bring top edge down to meet bottom edge to form 4 layers each measuring (rectangle will now measure 7-1/2x5 inches).

Repeat the rolling and folding process once more. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding process 2 more times. Chill dough for 20 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife, cut dough crosswise into 4 equal portions. Wrap 3 portions in plastic wrap and chill. On a well-floured surface, roll 1 portion into a 12-1/2x10-inch rectangle. Trim the uneaven edges from the rectangle. Cut lengthwise into three equal strips and then cut the other way eight times to create 27 relatively equal small rectangles.

Working with one dough rectangle at a time, gently stretch the rectangle to make it a little longer, so that it will wrap around the chocolate and back under the croissant. Place a square of the Dove Dark Chocolate at one of the ends, moisten the other end with a little water, and then roll the chocolate in the dough, placing the seam on the bottom. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Place wrapped chocolate on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1.5 inches in between. Brush each croissant with cream and sugar mixture before placing in oven.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks.

Makes about 108 little chocolate croissants