Honey butter croissants (from Hop’s restaurants)

This is the authentic recipe from Hop’s restaurants. If you remember their honey butter croissants, they were given to all guests prior to the meal as a free appetizer. While the restaurant is long gone from my area, I can enjoy them year-long thanks to their corporate headquarters!

I’ve heard time and time again that the restaurant industry is brutal. Sometimes you make it, and sometimes you don’t. I was saddened when a chain restaurant around us, Hop’s, had closed all of its area locations many years ago.

Hop’s was a restaurant/brewery that I enjoyed going to with friends. They brewed their own beer and had some good entrees as well. But the main reason I loved going was for the honey butter croissants. While many restaurants offer bread as the pre-meal appetizer, Hop’s went one step further and served these steaming hot, sweet bites of heaven prior to the meal service.

Like I said, I was bummed when Hop’s closed its locations around me. I craved those buttery croissants with the honey butter drizzle. I scoured the interwebs for a copycat recipe but to no avail. So I did the next logical thing: I emailed their corporate headquarters. My sentimental note must have worked because they actually wrote me back and shared the recipe!

In time, I will find the courage to make my own croissants, but for now, I am sticking with the grocery store brand. I also made my own honey butter (recipe below), but Hop’s preferred brand is Downey’s Honey Butter sauce.  This recipe was taste tested and approved by both my daughter and husband. Enjoy – they are ridiculously addictive!

hops honey butter croissants
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5 from 3 votes

Honey butter croissants from Hop's restaurants

This is the authentic honey butter croissant recipe from Hop's restaurants. Their croissants were my favorite part of the meal! 
Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time7 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Appetizer
Servings: 12
Author: Eva Bakes

Ingredients

  • 1 batch croissants homemade or store-bought
  • Downey's Honey butter sauce sold at Amazon, Wegman's and Shop-Rite; homemade version is below

Homemade honey butter sauce

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3/4 cup honey

Instructions

  • Prepare croissants according to the manufacturer's instructions, or make your own.
  • Mix the powdered sugar, butter and honey together. Drizzle on top of the prepared croissants and enjoy.

Notes

The recipe above makes a lot of honey butter. I used 4 tablespoons of each (powdered sugar, butter and honey). I melted the butter in the microwave and stirred in the remaining ingredients and still had a ton left over. If you are using store-bought refrigerated crescent rolls, you will only need a little bit of the sauce. I’d recommend using either 1 tablespoon of each ingredient above or 2 tablespoons. The left over honey butter sauce can be either put back in the refrigerator or left on the countertop for a few days. Top on bread, pastries, fruit or muffins.
Source: Hop's restaurants (email from their corporate headquarters); honey butter sauce from Beth's Favorite Recipes

27 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    April 30, 2012 / 12:55 pm

    Croissants already taste amazing. Then you go and put a honey butter sauce on top? I don't know if I can handle all that deliciousness! 😀

  2. Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking
    May 2, 2012 / 4:50 pm

    These are beautiful, Eva. Great recipe! Love the addition of honey butter sauce too… drool!

  3. Angelica
    July 30, 2012 / 3:01 pm

    I'll save this recipe…looks delicios!Have a nice day!

  4. Anonymous
    November 3, 2012 / 7:35 am

    my husband called Hops croissants "Buttery Nipples" he loved them.

  5. Anonymous
    November 9, 2012 / 2:26 pm

    I loved these! My roommate in college and I were once "cut off" from the honey butter croissants at Hop's. I can't wait to make these!

  6. michellel
    April 26, 2013 / 5:51 am

    Omg thank you so much! I looked for this recipe for years just as you did but I never thought about contacting them. I was just sitting here daydreaming about those delicious croissants at hops and decided to look it up again. I was so thrilled to find this! I will be making these tomorrow. Thanks again.

  7. Levious Gales
    September 25, 2015 / 9:12 pm

    i was wondering if these croissants supposed to be dessert cause HOPS serves them before your food so does that mean that HOPS serves Dessert before dinner ???????LOL and for free ????

  8. Unknown
    August 20, 2018 / 6:59 pm

    Hi, thanks for sharing this recipe. Should I use unsalted butter for this?

    • evabakes
      Author
      November 29, 2018 / 8:31 pm

      I would recommend unsalted so you can control the salt in the final product. Otherwise you can’t remove salt from salted butter.

  9. social outcast
    September 9, 2018 / 7:37 pm

    What is proof? I cannot find anything in my oven instructions about what a proof is or how to do it?

    • evabakes
      Author
      November 29, 2018 / 8:32 pm

      Bread proofing is the final step in making yeasted bread before baking and when shaped dough is allowed to rise one final time.

  10. Ashley
    January 20, 2019 / 10:20 am

    Can you share the actual recipe you got from corporate? I would love to try to make my own croissants. Thanks

    • evabakes
      Author
      January 20, 2019 / 8:37 pm

      Hi Ashley – they didn’t share the croissant recipe … only the honey butter part. You might inspire me to ask for it soon though!

  11. Susan Davis
    December 27, 2019 / 6:32 am

    5 stars
    Made these for Christmas dinner , tasted great . Just like the restaurants ! We go there in Arlington Va on the way to the airport most every time we visit my daughters . My grandkids love them !

    • evabakes
      Author
      December 27, 2019 / 8:28 pm

      That’s awesome, Susan! Glad your grandkids loved them!

  12. Patricia Andrade Salgado
    January 19, 2020 / 4:01 pm

    Thank you SO MUCH for this! I’ve been talking about a d craving these for YEARS.

    • evabakes
      Author
      January 19, 2020 / 4:51 pm

      You are so welcome! Hope you enjoy it!

  13. Peeches Ellis
    September 27, 2020 / 7:45 pm

    I have always been in love with these croissants,tgey are the best , I used this recipe tonight for Sunday dinner. And my house was fighting for them. Thank you for this it was really a good look. I am forever grateful especially since Hops has now been closed down.

    • evabakes
      Author
      September 27, 2020 / 8:01 pm

      Glad you enjoyed them!

  14. January 3, 2021 / 6:30 pm

    I never went to the restaurant, but I love how these look and they sound delicious.

    • evabakes
      Author
      January 3, 2021 / 8:30 pm

      I used to love going to Hop’s. Their honey butter croissants was truly the best thing – and they were free!

  15. Marty
    August 17, 2021 / 9:05 pm

    5 stars
    Eva, thanks so much for sharing this. My husband and I talk about how we miss HOPS so much!!! We loved the food and the croissants would have me driving 45 minutes from where I lived to purchase 2 dozen and eat them throughout the week.

    I am going to make the honey sauce. I appreciate you so much for sharing this.

    Marty in VA

    • evabakes
      Author
      August 17, 2021 / 9:10 pm

      Your note made my day, Marty! I hope you guys enjoy the croissants with the honey sauce!

    • Rachell
      October 14, 2021 / 2:46 pm

      5 stars
      Did you use bakery croissants or cresent rolls from a can?

      • evabakes
        Author
        October 15, 2021 / 6:04 am

        I used crescent rolls from a can 😄

  16. July 22, 2023 / 11:23 am

    While watching a K-drama with my daughter with a storyline about going being able to go back to your past I asked what time of her life she would choose to go back to. Without hesitation she said she would go back to when we used to go to Hops because she loved their croissants so much. I literally laughed out loud! Then she proceeded to Google Hops croissants and up popped this post.

    • evabakes
      Author
      July 24, 2023 / 3:57 pm

      Those honey butter croissants were the best! We’d always ask the waitstaff for more! 😊

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