CHEAT'S APPLE & CINNAMON CROISSANTS

Yesterday was a massive kick in the pants. I'm sure you have all had one of those days. Recently I have gotten back to my roots and am dancing again, it's wonderful! I have even started a dance class for kids called D I S C O which has been loads of fun and Clémentine has been loving all the dance moves I have been teaching her! But when your newly dance obsessed child scuffs down the hallway in oversized gold ballet shoes before the sun has risen and screams at the top of her lungs because she refuses to go back to sleep and demands you to get up to do a pirouette - mommy is in NO MOOD for the wonderment of the dance. Mommy needs a strong cup of tea, she needs more sleep (ha!) and she needs this day to start over immediately! But unfortunately there wasn't a do-over and I didn't get anymore sleep, all I got was a luke warm cup of tea by the time I got to drink it. MOAN MOAN BOO HOO ME. Man I loathe days like that. I know that they will occasionally happen and I am usually pretty good with moving onwards and upwards but yesterday I just wanted to sulk and sink down into grumpsville and feel woeful and not be the mature parent I should have been.
BUT TODAY IS A NEW DAY!
The sun is shining we've just come home from swimming all morning at the pool and I'm drinking a piping hot cup of tea - IN YOUR FACE WEDNESDAY, yep, Thursday is good. Now if I only had some of these yummy pastries from last weekend to dunk in my cuppa!
Lately the weekends have been filled with sunshine, which means the picnic blanket has its regular spot in the backyard, the hills hoist is full of washing and outdoor projects are under way. I was craving the flaky buttery goodness of a croissant so I decided to grab a couple of sheets of puff pastry from the freezer and get cracking on some cheats croissants. I also cooked up some apples that were overloading our fruit bowl for a sweet cinnamon apple filling, then I came across this recipe and wished I had a jar of homemade nutella. Drooooooool!
These were a delightful treat, Adam loved dunking his in his coffee, Clémentine loved biting the crunchy ends off, well, nearly all of them and I enjoyed 'cleaning up' after Clémentine and eating all the middles she left behind. YUM!

CHEAT'S APPLE & CINNAMON CROISSANTS

recipe adapted from here

2 sheets of good quality puff pastry

100 grams butter, diced

2 small apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 egg + milk for egg wash

Flour for rolling pastry.

Place apples, brown sugar and a scant 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan.

Bring to the boil then cover the pot and gently simmer for approx 3 minutes until the spples have softened but still hold their shape. Set aside to cool.

Sprinkle your counter top with a tny bit of flour and roll out the pastry sheets till they are a 24cm x 30cm rectangle.

Lightly flour one sheet of puff pastry and place the other on top. 

Cut the pastry length ways in half, then cut both your halves into 4 rectangles. 

Cut the now 8 rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangles.

Preheat oven to 180C deg.

Set up an assembly line of butter, apples and cinnamon and work down the line:

Separate the puff pastry sheets and place diced butter between the two sheets, lightly roll to flatten. Next place the diced apples at the wide end of the triangle

Sprinkle cinnamon on top, lightly roll up, and fold the ends in to form a crescent shape.

Place the croissants on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Brush them with an egg wash and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden and puffed.