Cookie Croissant Swirl Recipe
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My Cookie Croissant Swirl is a fun homemade take on this bakery favorite, and it's way easier to make than it looks. Flaky, buttery layers are swirled with a mix of chocolate, white chocolate, and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, then baked into a spiral pastry that's part croissant, part cookie.
I wanted to make a bakery-style cookie croissant at home, and it turned out to be a great project for the croissant dough I already make all the time.
The filling is the best part. Semisweet and white chocolate chips mix with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, so it tastes like a mix between a cookie and a croissant. These do require some patience for chilling and rising, but most of that time is hands-off, so don't let that scare you away.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a fun homemade copycat. Get that bakery treat without leaving your kitchen.
- The filling is packed with flavor and texture. Two kinds of chocolate chips plus crushed cookies means something new in every bite.
- The dough is genuinely doable. No fancy butter block needed, just cold butter tossed right into the flour.
- It's flexible for your schedule. Shape the pastries, then chill overnight for fresh-baked treats the next morning.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
For the Pastry
- Bread flour: All-purpose flour can be substituted if that's what you have.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps feed the yeast.
- Active dry yeast: Leavens the dough.
- Kosher salt: Balances the flavor.
- Cold unsalted butter: Sliced thin and tossed into the flour, this creates the flaky, laminated layers.
- Milk: Brings the dough together into a shaggy texture. The dough may look a little dry at first, but it hydrates as it chills.
For the Filling
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness to the filling.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Dark cocoa gives a richer color, though natural cocoa works too.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Add classic chocolate flavor throughout the swirl.
- White chocolate chips: A nice contrast to the semisweet chocolate.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies: Roughly chopped, these add texture and that unmistakable cookies-and-cream flavor.
In Photos: How To Make Cookie Croissant Swirls
Step 1: Make Filling
Combine everything. Place the sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and chopped cookies in a medium bowl.
Stir to combine.
Step 2: Make Dough
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the butter. Slice the cold butter into ⅛-inch thick pieces and toss in the flour mixture to coat.
Add the milk. Stir in the milk until a stiff, shaggy dough forms. It may seem a little dry at first, but it will hydrate as it chills.
Chill. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Laminate the dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a long rectangle. Fold it into thirds like a letter, turn it 90 degrees, and repeat this step 3 to 5 more times.
The dough should have large streaks of butter but still roll out smoothly and flat. If the butter gets soft, put the dough back in the fridge until it firms up.
Chill again. Wrap and chill the laminated dough for another hour.
Step 3: Fill, Shape, & Let Rise
On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle on an even layer of the filling mixture.
Roll the dough into a long log, then flatten it slightly.
Cut the log in half, then cut each half into three pieces.
Slice each piece lengthwise.
Then roll each strip into a spiral shape.
Place each spiral cut side up in the wells of a muffin tin.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight.
Step 4: Bake
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bake the pastries for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Keep the dough cold. If the butter feels soft while you're working, put the dough in the fridge until it firms up before you keep going.
- Want to split this over two days? Shape the pastries, then refrigerate overnight instead of letting them rise at room temperature. Bake straight from the fridge the next morning.
- Don't skip the muffin tin. It helps the spirals keep their shape as they rise and bake, so they don't come apart.
- Storage: Keep baked pastries covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze them for as long as 2 months. For the best texture, reheat them in a warm oven.
More Croissant & Laminated Dough Recipes
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 2 cups bread flour, (all-purpose flour may be substituted)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ ounce active dry yeast, (1 packet or approx. 2 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- ½ cup milk, (approximately, you may need slightly more or less)
For the Filling
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, (I used dark cocoa but natural cocoa will work too)
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- 6 chocolate sandwich cookies, roughly chopped
Instructions
To Make the Pastry
- Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Slice the butter into ⅛-inch thick slices and toss in the flour mixture to coat.
- Add the milk and stir together until a stiff, shaggy dough forms. (The dough may seem a little dry, but it will hydrate as it chills.)
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a long rectangle shape.
- Fold it into thirds (like a letter), turn 90 degrees, and repeat 3 to 5 more times (or until the dough has large streaks of butter in it but it is smooth and flat). (If at any point the butter starts to feel soft, chill the pastry in the refrigerator or freezer until stiff.)
- Wrap and chill the laminated dough for another hour.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle shape about ⅛-inch thick.
- Sprinkle on an even layer of the filling mixture.
- Roll into a long log, then flatten the log.
- Divide each half into 3 portions, then split each portion lengthwise.
- Roll each portion into a spiral, then place in the wells of a muffin tin, cut side up.
- Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow the pastries to rise for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake until puffed and golden brown (approx. 20 to 30 minutes).
To Make the Filling
- Place the sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and chopped cookies in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
Author
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