I owe Manchester’s Pollen Bakery a debt of gratitude. Their pastries got me through my night shifts when I lived in the city in 2015. Now, whenever I’m visiting, I head straight to their sleek premises by Piccadilly to try their new pastries, and also to stock up on croissant butter, their addictive condiment best enjoyed spread on croissants or spooned greedily straight from the jar. It’s a perfect Christmas gift for those getting a little tired of chutney.
Croissant butter
This makes one jar, but it can be easily scaled up to fill several jars.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 280g jar
2 croissants (120g)
75g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
½ tsp fine salt
50g caramelised white chocolate, or regular white chocolate
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Cut the croissants in half, then tear them into 2cm chunks. Put the butter in a large heatproof bowl, melt in the microwave, then stir in the croissant pieces and sugar, until evenly coated.
Scatter the croissant pieces over a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, and bake for 10-14 minutes (the exact timing will depend on the freshness of the croissants), until well browned and caramelised.
Remove, leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then tip into a food processor and add the salt. Blitz to a coarse powder, then add the chocolate and blitz again to a stiff paste. Finally, mix in the oil, then decant into a sterilised jar to continue cooling. Once sealed, the croissant butter will keep in a cool cupboard for up to a month or in the fridge for three months.
