7 Days Soft Baked Croissant review

Just say no

My husband has a standing order to buy me weird snacks when he goes to Grocery Outlet, our neighborhood food liquidator. One of his latest finds was this 7 Days Soft Baked Croissant with strawberry & vanilla filling. These are also available on Amazon, for those who don’t have access to an actual grocery store.

I’ve had packaged pastries of this kind before – mostly in hotel breakfasts in the Middle East – so I had an idea of what I was in for. This croissant met those expectations. The croissant had that inelastic, stalish texture that I’ve come to associate with packaged pastries. It’s not hard per se, but you actually have to work at tearing a piece off with your teeth. It is fairly dry and not particularly pleasant tasting. Microwaving it for a few seconds did help make it more edible.

The vanilla filling, however, melted in the microwave into a liquid that splat all over when I bit into it. It was not pleasant. Flavor wise, however, it was OK.

The croissants are made by Snackworks, which is owned by Mondelez International. Previously a part of Kraft foods, Mondelez has been accused of serious human rights violations, including the use of slave child labor in its cocoa supplies and in continuing to do business in Russia through their war with Ukraine.

Needless to say, I wouldn’t buy them again.

Cheap and tasty, what more can you ask for?

I got these mini-croissants ($4 for 12) at Amazon to eat with the jams from my Bonne Maman Advent Calendar, and so far, so good. According to the reviews and the packaging the croissants are usually sold fresh, but mine came frozen. That was not a problem, 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave and they were fluffy and chewy again. This surprised me, and we’ll see whether the quality remains as the days go by (I’m keeping them in the freezer), but a day after, they still taste fresh. They have a very chewy interior, wonderful when warm, and a strong butter flavor – I didn’t bother adding butter to them as they really didn’t need it.

The croissants are pretty small, about the size of the blade of a butter knife, but they’re perfect for those of us watching our carbs. The third ingredient, after flour and water, is actual butter, so you’re eating the real thing here.

Update: The mini croissants survived for a week in the freezer – with us removing one or two a day from the plastic box they came in – without any issues. They did seem harder after they were frozen, so I started microwaving them for about 30 seconds. This made them a little too hot, but perfect by the time I had spread the jam and was ready to eat them. I love just how small they are, the perfect size for me.

Tag: baked goods