French Almond Croissants (Bakery Style)
Almond Croissants are a classic French bakery pastry, and a surprisingly easy one to recreate at home as well! Day-old croissants filled with almond cream and topped with syrup and shaved almonds, yields a warm and flaky pastry that’s oozing with big almond flavor. You only need 25 minutes to make these freshly-baked almond croissants, that look and taste worthy of a French bakery! You can find almond croissants, or “Croissants Aux Amandes” in almost every French bakery. They were originally invented by boulangeries to use-up their unsold croissants and…
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 8 (day-old) medium/large croissants, left at room temp overnight, uncovered
- 100g (1/2 cup) sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 stick/8 tbsp (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (100g) almond meal/almond flour
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
- For the syrup:
- 4 tbsp (15ml) amaretto or rum
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- For topping:
- 3 tbsp sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- 1
Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Step 1 – Make the syrup. In a small pot, combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of water and the 4 tablespoons of amaretto. Bring to a slight simmer and stir for about 1 minute until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- 3
Step 2 – Make the almond cream. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and soft butter until homogeneous and frothy. Whisk in the eggs, one by one. Finally, whisk in the ground almond, almond extract, lemon zest (optional) and mix until smooth.
- 4
Step 3 – With a sharp serrated knife, slice each croissant in half, like you would for a sandwich. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- 5
Step 4 – Spread about two tablespoons of the almond cream on the bottom half of each croissant. Place the top halves over top and press lightly to seal.
- 6
Step 5 – Brush the top of the croissants generously with the syrup and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- 7
Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the croissants are golden-brown. Some almond cream may ooze out slightly, this is normal (it will harden as it cools). Carefully with a spatula, transfer the croissants to a wire rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- 8
Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.