Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • 6 day-old croissants (*see Note 1 below)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup half and half cream (10% bf)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (35% bf)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup butter (cut in to 6 cubes)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2-3/4 cup pecan pieces

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a shallow baking dish about 9x13-ish-oval (or close, such as 8x11 rectangle etc.)
  • Cut croissants in half. Place the bottoms of the croissants over the bottom of your pan, trying to fill as much of the bottom evenly as possible, overlapping just slightly, if necessary. Place the top halves of the croissants randomly overtop. (*Alternately, you can cut the croissants into 1-inch cubes, if you prefer)
  • Prepare the custard by combining all the custard ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour the custard mixture over croissants (or croissant cubes) in pan. The liquid should come up a little more than halfway, leaving most of the croissant tops exposed. Let stand and soak about 5-10 minutes, while you prepare the topping.
  • Prepare the topping by combining the butter and brown sugar. Cut the butter into the brown sugar with a pastry cutter or just use your fingers to rub the butter into the brown sugar until you have a crumb mixture. Scatter the crumb mixture overtop of the croissants, focusing on the areas between the croissant tops. Scatter the pecan pieces overtop as well. (*You can prepare up to this point, cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours or overnight).
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes, checking at the 35-40 minute mark and loosely covering the top with a sheet of aluminum foil, if the croissant tops are getting too brown. Be sure to test for doneness by inserting a spoon and lifting to make sure the bottom is moderately set, as it make look done due to the brown top, but the underneath may still be runny. When filling is set, remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving warm. Nice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!