The Best Store-Bought Chocolate Croissant Isn't From Costco Or Aldi

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Who doesn't love a good chocolate croissant? Arguably one of the best pastries, it's buttery, flaky, sweet, and, of course, chocolate-y. And while you could make them from scratch, it's definitely an involved process that will take up a good portion of the day. Instead, you can buy a pack from a grocery store, which can still be delicious. And to help you figure out which pre-made ones you should be buying, Daily Meal ranked seven store-bought chocolate croissants. You may be expecting either Costco or Aldi — two places with consistently good pastries — to have the best chocolate croissant, but it was actually Target's brand Favorite Day (which is different from Target's other brand, Good & Gather) that had the very best chocolate croissants.

To make this ranking, our tester evaluated the taste, texture, and chocolate flavor profile of each croissant, as well as the pastry-to-chocolate ratio. With these factors, Favorite Day came out on top. The tester loved the buttery flavor and the amount of chocolate (which had a rich, deep flavor profile). They also loved the use of dark chocolate versus milk. The only potential downside is that these croissants come frozen, so you have to prepare them ahead of time by letting them proof for at least nine hours (which you can do overnight), then wait for them to bake in your oven.

We aren't alone in our love of these croissants. On Target's website, its product page has a nearly perfect 5-star rating, with almost all reviews positive. One reviewer declared these croissants "taste like an upscale pastry."

The rest of the reviews are full of Target customers raving that they can't get enough of these Favorite Day chocolate croissants. One reviewer wrote, "These were absolutely delicious and super easy to make. Super flakey, chocolatey, and yummy!" Another said they tasted as if they came from the bakery. And one shopper called them "...one of the greatest chocolate croissants [they've] ever had," especially praising the flavor and flakiness. And if you want to upgrade the croissants, one person suggests adding powdered sugar and a drizzle of extra chocolate.

Multiple reviewers mentioned that they were not initially aware that you have to let the croissants proof overnight (or for eight to nine hours) before you can bake them. The majority of these reviewers, however, then go on to say that these croissants are worth the wait. But a few reviewers gave this product a low rating due to the proofing time. One person wrote, "Respectfully, if I'm buying something from the freezer aisle, it should not take a full work day to make it."

So, really, it just comes down to personal preference and if you mind the extra step. It's worth noting that Favorite Day also offers a non-frozen box of chocolate croissants you can try if you don't like waiting for the proofing step. Or, you can try the trick for making Trader Joe's croissants (which, like Target's, require proofing) more quickly, which may work for the Favorite Day croissants too.