I Buy Box After Box of This Delicious $5 Trader Joe’s Freezer Find (It’s So Underrated!)
Come Christmas morning — after all the presents are opened — the last thing I ever want to do is make a gigantic brunch spread with intricate recipes. Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m all for an overnight homemade cinnamon rolls type of deal that I can make ahead, but for the most part on Christmas morning I’m making simple-yet-delicious recipes that take as few techniques and ingredients as humanly possible. Enter: my sister’s four-ingredient breakfast bake.
The all-star ingredient for doing just that? Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry. It’s the foundation for my near-legendary two-ingredient Buffalo chicken dip appetizer (also made with TJ’s Buffalo Chicken Dip!) and so many other quick, no-fuss recipes when I just want to get something delicious on the table (and often for guests).
What So Great About Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry?
As much as I love homemade puff pastry, between all of the scraping and chilling, it can take hours to get a sheet together. The store-bought stuff takes care of all of those steps ahead of time. But, as you probably know, not all grocery store puff pastry is made equally. Many are made with hydrogenated oils (no butter in sight!) and lots of additives that alter the flavor and texture of the dough when baked.
The Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry is made with just butter, flour, water, and salt, and features an astonishing 729 layers of butter and dough that allow it to puff oh-so beautifully in the oven. It’s absolutely delicious and the perfect canvas for all sorts of fillings. It also helps that it comes with two rectangular sheets, and is almost a third of the price of other name-brand options.
What’s the Best Way to Use Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry?
There are near-endless possibilities when it comes to Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry. Janette, our culinary producer, recently made absolutely delectable two-ingredient goat cheese twists with this puff pastry — and that’s really just the beginning. Hand pies! Cheese straws! Puff pastry baked Brie! Beef wellington! And my sister’s famous (and my favorite) breakfast bake.
This breakfast bake has four foundational ingredients — Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry, eggs, cheese, and milk — but is endlessly customizable. We add vegetables, sausage, and all sorts of spices, but all you need are the four core ingredients. Here’s how to make it.
Prepare the puff pastry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If puff pastry is frozen, let defrost in the refrigerator overnight or thaw on the counter for an hour or two. Form one sheet in an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish, making sure the dough comes up over the sides (almost as if you were forming a pie crust). Crimp the edges with a fork to press the pastry to the sides of the dish.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, add eight eggs, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (or any variety), 1/2 cup of whole milk, and optional salt and pepper to taste. (If you are adding other vegetables or meat, add them in at this time too!) Mix well, and pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is slightly puffed and the pastry edges are golden. Let cool for at least five minutes before cutting and serving.
If you have any scallions on hand they are excellent on top, but honestly the dish is plenty delicious as is. The puff pastry yields an incredibly flaky and rich base for the creamy, cheesy eggs, and I look forward to it each and every Christmas.
Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry, $4.99 for 12 ounces
Have you tried Trader Joe’s All-Butter Puff Pastry? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Further Reading
Why People Are Ditching Their Seltzer After a Disturbing Study
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
Reese’s Just Launched a Limited-Edition Peanut Butter Cup, and It Tastes 4x Better than the Original
