Huckleberry Croissant Puff

This year for Mother's Day I wanted to start the day off right with some brunch.  So instead of going out to eat,  I wanted to make things simple and faster. Our little boys have a way of making me think this way, by making brunch at home.  I ended up making Huckleberry Croissant Puff, turkey sausage, scrambled eggs with shredded white cheddar and last by not least, mimosas.  Because how can you go wrong with a little champagne and orange juice?  The Huckleberry Croissant Puff I baked the day before so it would be ready and just need some reheating.  Eggs are always quick and the sausage just took a few minutes to cook on the stovetop.  Before I knew it, we were all eating brunch and we had the rest of the day to look forward to. 

I found the recipe for the croissant puff here, at The Girl Who Ate Everything blog.  Her recipe uses blueberries which I substituted for huckleberries.  I loved how tart and creamy it turned out.  We reheated ours but it tasted better cold later and reminded me of cheesecake.  The only thing I would change was that I didn't soften my cream cheese enough and it didn't mix well enough with the sugar and egg mixture.  It looked clumpy but it still tasted yummy!

Ingredients:

• 3 large croissants, cut up (about 5 to 5½ cups)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen huckleberries
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place croissant pieces in a 9 inch square pan. Sprinkle with huckleberries.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add milk, beating well after each addition. Pour evenly over croissant pieces. Let stand 20 minutes.
4. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until set in center and golden brown. You may want to cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes if the tops are getting too browned.
5. Serve warm sprinkled with powdered sugar.
6. Variation: Instead of baking in a square pan bake individually. Place croissant pieces evenly in 10 (1/2-cup) ramekins; sprinkle with huckleberries and pour cream cheese mixture evenly over croissant pieces. Let stand 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until set in center and golden brown.

Don't forget the champagne!  It's not Mother's Day without some orange juice and bubbly!

Some gorgeous green hydrangeas from my husband brightened our dining room and was a sweet gesture for Mother's Day.