croissant de chocolat

One of life's greatest pleasures is a hot, flaky, chocolate croissant from Williams-Sonoma -- divinity on a plate.

My love affair with them began several years ago when my sister sent them to me on a weekend when I had out-of-town-guests visiting. They're delivered in dry ice, nice and neat in a sturdy little box. When you're ready to cook them, pull them out of the freezer the night before and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet so they can sit for at least nine hours.

Now the magic takes place.

The next morning they're puffed up like little clouds. So pretty.

Stick them in the oven for about 13 minutes (the directions say 15-20 minutes, but that's always too long), and voila! Fresh, fabulous, flaky bundles of heaven, fresh from the oven.

It doesn't get much better on a cold morning than a cup of hot coffee and a hot chocolate croissant from Williams-Sonoma (...although a greasy tailgate breakfast taco wrapped up in tinfoil on a chilly fall morning, with a spicy Bloody Mary, of course ... is a close second!).