Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Butter on pain au chocolat?

64 replies

GeminiGuy · 13/04/2025 10:11

Our son like his pain au chocolate with butter spread on it.

I don't see an issue with that. So, I have always allowed it. But, my wife disagrees categorically based on the premise that a sweet pastry does not need butter (she butters her croissant). She says it is a cultural difference point (she is British and I am Middle Eastern). We each think the other is unreasonable about this.

Thought we would post here for an idea what most people think.

OP posts:
olympicsrock · 13/04/2025 19:27

Butter on butter - Yuck! You are both totally unreasonable

northwestgirl · 13/04/2025 19:24

this thread has reminded me that when I went to school camp (my first experience camping) we had fried bread for breakfast (another first) and I put butter on it, it was great! but there were no grown ups to stop me!
fat is yummy unfortunately (now we live in a world where fat is so easy to come by)
a pain au chocolat has enough fat in it, I would be telling a child whose health I cared about that

Isawthesigns · 13/04/2025 19:14

I will load anything I can with butter. I looove it and it’s sooo nutritious but I guess that’s not the issue as you wouldn’t be giving him pain au chocolat if it was.

MidnightPatrol · 13/04/2025 13:35

If he burns the calories, why not.

I used to looooove toast with butter AND Nutella as a kid. Only my grandma would let me do it.

I’d probably keel over if I ate it now.

CoastalCalm · 13/04/2025 13:33

It depends , if it is one of the small ones you can get in individual plastic portions then butter yes as they aren’t very buttery but no one a proper bakery one

Marmite27 · 13/04/2025 13:14

Butter does not belong on a pain au chocolate, but neither does it belong on a croissant! They’re made using the same type of dough, so if she can have it, so can your son.

VisitationRights · 13/04/2025 13:12

Butter on a pain au chocolat is utterly bizarre but to each their own.

nomorezoflora · 13/04/2025 13:08

I certainly won't butter mine - the ones I would buy are about 98% butter by weight already! - but I'm not against other people doing whatever the heck they like with theirs.

If it was my kid I'd be raising an eyebrow if butter-on-everything was an eating pattern, but as a treat no problem.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 13/04/2025 12:27

Your child is clearly finding his pain au chocolat too dry without butter, whilst it may have a piece of chocolate in it, dry unbuttered croissants can be very dry for some.

Maybe he would prefer the chocolate and hazelnut filled croissants ? as they have a creamy filling and much more of it, rather than the little lump of chocolate in a pain au chocolat.

fruitpastille · 13/04/2025 12:20

It's unusual to put butter on a pain au chocolate - I've never seen anyone do it and I would probably discourage my children from doing it. It's not that big a deal though

Personally I do put butter on a croissant even though I know it's already been made with loads. The salty taste makes it much me delicious. My friends and family do the same (except dh who thinks it's ridiculous to add butter).

rurbane · 13/04/2025 12:05

It's a personal choice. I eat a lot of scones, sometimes with butter and sometimes without. There are enough rules in the world without adding more!

AppleBlossomMay · 13/04/2025 10:57

I wouldn't like to put butter on my chocolate croissant as I think a warm croissant with melted chocolate inside is perfect as is, but I wouldn't think anything of it if someone else wanted to add butter to theirs. Each to their own.

PandaCory · 13/04/2025 10:54

One of my kids won't eat butter on sandwiches, toast, etc. The other is autistic and there are certain things he will not eat due to texture, etc. So I'm very much in the "if that's how they like it, let them have it" camp, even if for me personally it would be a no.

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 13/04/2025 10:47

@GeminiGuy THINk your wife really needs to watch a video of how croissants are made!!! they are literally full of butter!!!! no extra butter need on either croissants or pain au chocolat!!

Dramatic · 13/04/2025 10:47

It's a bit odd but I wouldn't be stopping someone else having it if that's what they wanted.

McSpoot · 13/04/2025 10:46

It seems odd to me, but I don't butter a croissant either. However, if he like it, I don't see the problem.

InWithThePlums · 13/04/2025 10:45

But they are about 90% butter as it is!! I butter everything, but never a pastry.

Lorlorlorikeet · 13/04/2025 10:45

In a family of cardiac issues, this gives me the collywobbles.

Pillarsofsalt · 13/04/2025 10:44

If it came down to a pain au chocolate OR butter I’d choose the butter 😄

faerietales · 13/04/2025 10:43

It sounds so wrong to me but then I would have butter with peanut butter or chocolate spread on toast so I'm clearly being a bit hypocritical, lol.

LardoBurrows · 13/04/2025 10:42

You are both wrong, butter on a pain au chocolate is wrong, it smothers the lovely chocolate taste and is sacrilege.

Croissants are made with butter (if you buy the all butter croissants and not the nasty ones made with margarine and palm oil) and were designed to be eaten as they are, a perfect and complete pastry, no additions necessary - apart from a strong black coffee and a Gauloise obvs.

WillItEverWork · 13/04/2025 10:29

My DH and DS have butter with Nutella on bread etc. I think it’s gross but each to their own. I would imagine it’s a bit like the butter icing on a cupcake

Clearinguptheclutter · 13/04/2025 10:27

I’d never do that. They are made of butter so don’t need any more!

but my kids do strange things too so I wouldn’t get worked up about it.

TropicofCapricorn · 13/04/2025 10:25

PonyPatter44 · 13/04/2025 10:23

How Do you butter a pain au chocolat? Do you spread butter over the top, or do you slice it open like a burger bun and butter over the chocolate slabs? I am intrigued now!

Personally I love a pain au chocolat, and would never think to butter one, but you do you.

Cut it open

SomethingDifferentBloomed · 13/04/2025 10:25

It’s a bit of a rogue choice tbh, but then again so is buttering a croissant. They are like 90% butter to start with! Now a bit of jam I can absolutely get behind…