8 croissants, cut or torn into 2-inch pieces
Butter or cooking spray
1 pint blackberries (about 3 cups)
4 cups (1 quart) whole milk
6 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar or glaze, for serving (optional)
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Spread the croissant pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until dry, hard, and very lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Coat a 3-quart or 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Place the croissant pieces in the baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with the blackberries, pushing a few down carefully between the pieces so they don’t get broken.
Whisk the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour evenly over the croissants and berries. Press down on any large croissant pieces that aren’t submerged in the liquid. Set the baking dish aside for 15 minutes so that the croissants absorb some of the liquid.
Bake uncovered until puffed, golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. If the top is getting dark before the inside is baked through, tent the dish loosely with aluminum foil.
Place the croissant bake on a wire cooling rack. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving warm. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with glaze.
Recipe complements of The Kitchn. Glaze below is my own.
Blackberry sugar icing:
Blend 2 large blackberries with a few tablespoons of milk. Strain in a sieve to remove seeds. Add, with a drop or two of vanilla extract, to powdered sugar to make a pourable glaze – as thick as you’d like. The berry mostly adds color, so feel free to replace with strawberries, raspberries or lemon juice if you’d like a stronger fruit flavor.