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Almond Croissants

breakfast· Easter· Holiday Favorites· pastries

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Almond Croissants – Store-bought butter croissants are transformed into rich, flavorful almond croissants with the addition of almond syrup and almond cream. 

Almond Croissants covered in sliced almonds and powdered sugarHappy Monday, everyone! Man, this weekend went by fast. But they always do, right? Well, if you’re struggling this morning like I am, I have the perfect treat to get you moving and grooving.

A little while ago, I shared my recipe for classic butter croissants. They are definitely a labor of love but it’s a recipe that fun to do and worth all the effort. They’ve never left my husband’s top 5 list, despite all the incredible things I’ve made since!

All of this is to lead us into today’s recipe – almond croissants. Almond croissants are, by-far, my favorite pastry. I love the rich almond filling and the crunch you get from the sliced almonds on top. Yummm. But I have yet to make my own at home because they seemed much more complicated than you’re classic version.

Au contraire! They are actually much easier than the classic croissants. But why is that? We’ll get into that below. But first – let’s gawk at the finished product!

Say hello to my Almond Croissants!

Almond Croissant on a plate topped with powdered sugar Almond Croissants cut in half

Okay so how exactly are they almond croissants easier to make than the classics? Well, it’s all due to a nifty short cut. Yup, that’s right – we’re using store-bought croissants! Because the filling takes its own time to make, I see no benefit in making these more complicated by making your own croissants, as well. But if that’s what you wanna do, you definitely can. I’m just here to assure you that it’s definitely not necessary.

To make the almond croissants, you start with large croissants that have sat out for a day or so. This helps them dry out a little so they absorb the almond filling much better instead of getting too soggy. Then, we slice the croissants open and brush them with a homemade almond syrup and spread on a homemade almond cream.

Brushing croissant pieces with melted butter Adding a top to the croissant after buttering Croissant halves with one with the top on

Then, you sandwich the two halves back together and spread a little more almond cream on top. Now comes my favorite part! You dip the croissants in a plate-full of sliced almond and press down to get the tops covered in almonds. Now all you have to do is bake until the tops start to brown and then they’re ready to go!

See…aren’t they much easier to make than you thought?!

If you’re still a little worried about tackling these yourself, here are a few tips to help you through the recipe:

  1. Like I mentioned above, make sure you let the croissants sit out overnight without any packaging. This helps them dry out a bit, which will help them absorb the filling much better without getting soggy.
  2. When making the almond syrup, cook the syrup only until the sugar dissolves, no more than 5 minutes. If you cook it any longer, the mixture could turn into hard candy once it cools.
  3. Only used sliced almonds for this recipe – slivered/chopped almonds won’t stick to the tops the same way, if at all. And they won’t look at pretty.

Alrighty, people! That’s all there is to it! Trust me when I say these almond croissants are absolutely magnificent. I recommend for any occasion – brunch, Easter, or even just a regular, ole weekend. If you want to make these for a crowd, just use smaller croissants and make a double batch of the almond cream and almond syrup.

Hope you enjoy them!

Print Recipe

Almond Croissants

Store-bought butter croissants are transformed into rich, flavorful almond croissants with the addition of almond syrup and almond cream.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 4 croissants

Ingredients

For the almond cream:
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg
For the almond syrup:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For the almond croissants:
  • 4 large croissants
  • 2 cups sliced almonds
  • powdered sugar for dusting
  • almond cream (recipe below)
  • almond syrup (recipe below)

Instructions

For the almond cream:
  • Sift almond flour and all-purpose flour together in a medium bowl to remove any lumps. Set aside.
  • Add butter to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until butter is creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until combined. Increase speed to medium-low and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add half of the almond mixture to butter mixture. Mix until combined. Add second half of almond mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add egg and mix on medium-low until completely combined.
  • Place mixture in bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic is touching the almond cream. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
For the almond syrup:
  • With about an hour left for the almond cream to chill, begin the almond syrup. Add sugar, water, and almond flour to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Do not heat much longer than that or else the sugar will harden once cooled. Remove from heat.
  • Let almond syrup cool down and thicken for about 1 hour. Once cooled, add almond extract and stir to combine
To assemble the croissants:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Slice croissants in half horizontally. Split open into two halves. Brush each half with a little almond syrup. Remove almond cream from refrigerator and split into two halves. Take one half of almond cream and split among the 4 bottom halves of the croissants. Spread with the back of a spoon to coat the sliced croissant evenly. Place croissant top onto each bottom to create a sandwich.
  • Take the remaining almond cream and split among the 4 croissant tops. Make sure to place on the top of the croissant, not the sliced part. Spread evenly among the croissant.
  • Place sliced almond into a shallow dish. Place the croissant into the almonds, pastry cream side down and press to cover the croissant in almonds. Repeat with other croissants. Place croissants onto prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake croissants for 18-20 minutes, or until almonds begin to brown on the top. Let cool about 5-10 minutes and then serve. Best eaten on same day.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Jessica Gavin

Pin for later:

Almond Croissants photo collage

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Classic Butter Croissants

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Strawberries & Cream Danish

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Pecan Sticky Buns

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Comments

  2. Debs says

    These look absolutely divine!!! Almond croissants are one of my favourites and I love that these are so simple. Perfect Sunday morning breakfast!

    Reply

  8. Julie says

    I came across this recipe first, but I can’t wait to try your homemade croissants. We took my 2 year old to Paris last year, where he binged on croissants for a week. We stopped in a little bakery here in Philly after we got home and ordered a croissant and he immediately said “What this? This NOT a croissant, Mommy! Not like Paris!” I’ve been looking for a good homemade recipe ever since because it’s true – what we can buy here just is not the same! Love love love all these almonds; will definitely give this version a whirl, too!

    Reply

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