Warm, buttery Chocolate Chip Pastry made with creamy vanilla pastry cream and decadent chocolate chips – an instant family favorite! Seriously though, there is not a time of the day where this treat wouldn’t make me smile.

Puff Pastry

Puff pastry dough is a type of laminated dough, also known as a layered dough. The process of making puff pastry dough is labor intensive and requires special folding techniques to create multiple buttery layers. This preparation usually takes about 2 days and is very temperature sensitive. However, nowadays most grocery stores carry prepared frozen puff pastry dough which works great for this recipe. Allow 2 hours for the puff pastry to defrost in the fridge and keep it cold until baking.

Pro-tip: If at any time you are working with the dough and it becomes warm and difficult to manipulate, stick it back in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it down.

Pastry Cream

Pastry cream is a thick custard commonly used as a filling in many pastries and baked goods. We will be using it for the filling base in our Chocolate Chip Pastry. It is made with milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and flavoring. For our pastry, we will stick to the basics and flavor our pastry cream with vanilla extract and butter. This traditional cream is an excellent topping for so many dishes such as waffles or crepes. The recipe will make extra pastry cream so make sure you save it in your fridge for another breakfast treat!

Pastry Cream: Prep

First, gather all of your ingredients. The cooking process is much easier and runs smoother when you have everything ready to go, especially when you are doing a time and temperature sensitive recipe such as this. In French, they call this “mise en place” which translates to everything in it’s place. Have all cooking utensils ready as well as all of the ingredients measured out and ready to be incorporated. It is vital to this recipe to have a large bowl of ice water ready to be used before beginning to cook.

In a small saucepan, pour in your first measure of milk, sugar, and salt. Simmer over medium heat, and stir to help dissolve the sugar. Once the milk is brought to a scald (you see steam release from the milk), turn the heat to low and let it be. Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch, flour, egg yolks and the second measure of milk.

Pastry Cream: Tempering

Now, we will do what is called tempering. Add a small amount (about 1/4) of the hot milk into the egg mixture very slowly while whisking. This allows the mixture to slowly increase in temperature without scrambling the eggs. Then slowly, while constantly whisking, pour the warmed egg mixture into the pan over low heat.

Next, bring the pan up to a boil. Continue to whisk and you should notice the cream thickening. The cream needs to be brought up to 165 degrees F. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. If the pastry cream doesn’t reach this temperature it’s possible it won’t set up correctly in the fridge.

Transfer your metal sauce pan (if using nonstick you will need to transfer it into a small stainless steel bowl) into your large bowl of ice water. Whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Keep whisking until it is cold. Now transfer it into the fridge, it is vital that the pastry cream is covered in a bowl with plastic wrap and that the plastic wrap is touching the top of the pastry cream. Otherwise a skin will be formed on top. I usually go ahead and put my pastry cream into a piping bag into the fridge.

Shape Your Pastry

Take your 14 oz rectangular sheet of Puff Pastry and cut it directly in half to make 2 squares. Fold the edges of the rectangle to meet in the middle and make a mark at the fold on the ends so you know how long to make your flaps. Follow the marks down cutting 1 inch thick strips. You can use a knife, but I usually use a bench scraper, linked here: Mercer Culinary Bench Scraper, 6 Inch x 3 Inch (paid link). Repeat this process on the other square. See pictures below for a visual reference.

Fill Your Pastry

Pipe, or spread the pastry cream into the middle section of your pastry. Sprinkle with a large handful of Nestle Toll Houses’s Artisan Collection Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (gifted product).

Fold Your Pastry

Take your flaps and alternate sides folding downwards, making a criss cross pattern. Fold all the way down.

Mix together egg and heavy cream to create an egg wash. With a pastry brush, paint the egg wash all over the pastry. This helps create a shiny golden finish on the pastry.