Take Your Day-Old Croissant To The Next Level With One Nutty Filling

Croissants have what some might call "the avocado syndrome." That means that when they are fresh they are buttery, perfect, absolutely craveable bites of perfection. And when they are even 15 minutes past their prime of about 24 hours, they are but a pale recollection of their previous selves. That's why everybody who loves croissants deserves to know how to add delicious fillings to croissants that are just a little bit past their best. 

If you have a croissant that is just a little dry, and hard and has lost some of its buttery flakiness, adding fillings will do wonders. It adds moisture and revitalizes the texture of the croissant, and of course, adds a whole new flavor to the classic French pastry. It can also turn the familiar croissant into an entirely new food, taking it off the breakfast table and straight to lunch, dinner, or even dessert.

Pistachios are a delicious way to revitalize day-old or stale croissants. However, you don't want to just throw them onto a croissant and hope for the best. The trick is to slice the croissants in half so the middle is exposed, layer a seasoned filling on each half, then sandwich the two halves together. The filling can be made from butter, crushed roasted pistachios, egg, and sugar — just blend all the ingredients together until it's a flavorful paste.

The final step is baking the croissants again for a few minutes until the top is golden brown and the pastry is refreshed. You can always brush the croissants with simple syrup made from sugar and water, or an egg wash for a little extra moisture and flavor before baking. The best thing is that none of the steps to make these revved-up croissants are technically difficult. You just need to get your recipe idea in mind and have your ingredients in place, and then the filling comes together relatively quickly.

The filling is really the fun part of a croissant. Sure, pistachio is a wonderful choice for flavor. It's naturally rich, nutty, and tastes great with everything from berries to dark chocolate. But why stop there? Candied nuts, pulverized in the blender and mixed with butter make a delicious filling that's already ready to go, and fresh fruit preserves or even a spoonful of store-bought jam makes a delicious sweet treat.

But why stop at sweet fillings when there are plenty of savory options as well? You can use any and all leftover condiments to make a savory croissant treat, and experiment with different flavors. Chili crunch, tapenade, pesto, and other ingredients make a deliciously different take on these revitalized pastries. Feel free to add a couple of beaten eggs to enrich any filling you use, along with the butter — the latter being particularly important to rehydrate the croissants and breathe life back into them as it melts in the oven. Now all there is to do is make sure you do not eat all your croissants in one go so that you have leftovers to try some new ideas. To be honest, not eating all the croissants in one go might be the hardest part of this hack.