Make Cheddar's Famous Honey Butter Croissants Right At Home |...

Make Cheddar's Famous Honey Butter Croissants Right At Home

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Among the many popular Cheddar's menu items are honey butter croissants. Many patrons rave about these famous (and free) croissants, although reviewers sometimes complain about inconsistent quality, saying they sometimes recieve old or raw croissants. You can avoid these problems by making a homemade version of these flaky treats yourself.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for copycat Cheddar's honey butter croissants. You'll need to dedicate time to making them, but Bottalico has made the process a little easier by using the rough puff pastry method for the dough. Classic croissant and puff pastry recipes are more finicky. They require making a butter block and many rolling, folding, and chilling steps to create thousands of layers of unmelted butter between thin layers of dough. Croissant dough also requires yeast and rising times. The rough puff method uses cubed butter and has fewer folding steps and less chilling time. What all the versions have in common is that when the pastry bakes, the butter holds the layers of dough apart while they cook, creating the layers, and it also releases steam as it melts in the oven, causing the layers to puff away from each other.

You can make a shortcut version with store-bought puff pastry, but consider trying the full recipe. You'll be rewarded with beautiful flaky, melt-in-your-mouth croissants and the satisfaction of having made them yourself. The additional sweet, rich touch of the honey butter drizzle turns these into decadent restaurant-quality treats you can enjoy without leaving home.

Gather your copycat Cheddar's honey butter croissant ingredients

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

To make the dough, you will need all-purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, and cold unsalted butter. It's very important that the butter is very cold, so don't let it sit out before using it. You'll also need ice water. While it's not imperative, using a European-style butter can give you better results because it's higher in fat.

Have a beaten egg and water on hand to make an egg wash. Finally, you'll need unsalted butter, honey, and cornstarch to make the honey butter drizzle. The cornstarch thickens the mixture a little to keep the drizzled lines more distinct.

Step 1: Start making the dough

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 2: Toss in the butter

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Add the cubed butter and toss with your hands until coated and evenly distributed.

Step 3: Form a dough ball and chill

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Working as quickly as you can and handling the dough as little as possible, add ¼ cup of ice water and mix the dough, tossing and pressing with your hands until it starts to stick together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed, until a rough ball forms. Freeze the dough for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Shape the dough and chill

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it with your hands into a rectangle no more than 1 inch high. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Step 5: Roll the dough

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle about ⅓-inch high, flipping and replenishing the floured surface as needed. Smooth cracks and keep the shape rectangular with your hands. Do not roll the dough with too much force.

Step 6: Fold the dough

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Fold the two short ends in so they meet at the center.

Step 7: Fold the dough again

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Fold the entire slab in half. It will now be a rectangle 4 layers tall.

Step 8: Rotate the dough and roll again

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Rotate the slab 90 degrees to the left or right and roll it out again into a large rectangle about ⅓-inch high.

Step 9: Fold the dough again

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Fold it as before to create a rectangle 4 layers tall again. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 10: Repeat and chill

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Repeat the rolling and folding steps 2 more times. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes in between steps (or up to 24 hours if making the dough ahead).

Step 11: Preheat the oven

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Preheat the oven to 450 F

Step 12: Roll the dough

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a long rectangle of about 12x16 inches and ⅛-inch high.

Step 13: Trim the edges

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Trim the edges with a knife to make them even.

Step 14: Cut the dough

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Cut the dough into 12 narrow triangles.

Step 15: Roll up the dough and chill

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Roll up each triangular piece of dough, starting at the wide end. Place the croissants 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure the small points are on the undersides so they don't unroll while baking. Chill the pan for 30 minutes.

Step 16: Make the egg wash

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl to make the egg wash.

Step 17: Brush the croissants

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Brush the egg wash onto the tops of the croissants.

Step 18: Bake

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Bake for 20-22 minutes until browned and flaky, and then lower the heat to 325 F, loosely cover the croissants with a piece of aluminum foil, and bake for 10-12 more minutes.

Step 19: Start making the honey butter

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Meanwhile, make the honey butter. Place the butter and honey in a small saucepan on medium-low and stir to combine until the butter is fully melted.

Step 20: Whisk in the cornstarch

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Sprinkle the cornstarch into the pan and whisk vigorously until evenly combined.

Step 21: Simmer the mixture

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened.

Step 22: Let the honey butter cool

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Transfer the honey butter to a dish and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes, until it thickens more and drips very slowly off a spoon.

Step 23: Let the croissants cool

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.

Step 24: Drizzle with honey butter

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Drizzle the honey butter onto the croissants.

Step 25: Serve the copycat Cheddar's honey butter croissants

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Serve warm.

What pairs well with croissants?

Our copycat Cheddar's honey butter croissants are beautiful flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastries with the sweet, rich touch of a honey butter drizzle.

croissants served on white table

Total time: 4 hours, 22 minutes

For the dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ¾-inch cubes
¾ cup ice water
For the egg wash
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons water
For the honey butter
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the cubed butter and toss with your hands until coated and evenly distributed.
Working as quickly as you can and handling the dough as little as possible, add ¼ cup of ice water and mix the dough, tossing and pressing with your hands until it starts to stick together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed, until a rough ball forms. Freeze the dough for 10 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it with your hands into a rectangle no more than 1 inch high. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle about ⅓-inch high, flipping and replenishing the floured surface as needed. Smooth cracks and keep the shape rectangular with your hands. Do not roll the dough with too much force.
Fold the two short ends in so they meet at the center.
Fold the entire slab in half. It will now be a rectangle 4 layers tall.
Rotate the slab 90 degrees to the left or right and roll it out again into a large rectangle about ⅓-inch high.
Fold it as before to create a rectangle 4 layers tall again. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Repeat the rolling and folding steps 2 more times. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes in between steps (or up to 24 hours if making the dough ahead).
Preheat the oven to 450 F
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a long rectangle of about 12x16 inches and ⅛-inch high.
Trim the edges with a knife to make them even.
Cut the dough into 12 narrow triangles.
Roll up each triangular piece of dough, starting at the wide end. Place the croissants 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure the small points are on the undersides so they don't unroll while baking. Chill the pan for 30 minutes.
Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl to make the egg wash.
Brush the egg wash onto the tops of the croissants.
Bake for 20-22 minutes until browned and flaky, and then lower the heat to 325 F, loosely cover the croissants with a piece of aluminum foil, and bake for 10-12 more minutes.
Meanwhile, make the honey butter. Place the butter and honey in a small saucepan on medium-low and stir to combine until the butter is fully melted.
Sprinkle the cornstarch into the pan and whisk vigorously until evenly combined.
Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened.
Transfer the honey butter to a dish and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes, until it thickens more and drips very slowly off a spoon.
Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.
Drizzle the honey butter onto the croissants.
Serve warm.