Posted November 7, 2023 by: Admin #Kitchen

If you pay a visit to a traditional French Bakery, chances are you’ll spot these delectable treats behind a gleaming glass display: “Croissants aux Amandes” (also known as Almond Croissants).

During a recent trip to the Seattle area, my cousin’s wife, Katya, generously shared this delightful recipe with me. We savored these almond croissants alongside a steaming latte for breakfast. The almond croissants were a true delight and surprisingly easy to prepare. You can even halve the recipe to cater to a smaller crowd. What a delightful indulgence!

Ingredients for Almond Croissants:

• 8 (one-day-old) medium/large croissants, left at room temperature uncovered overnight
• 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
• Powdered (Confectioner’s) sugar for dusting

Ingredients for the syrup:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 4 Tbsp rum (optional, but highly recommended; you can use 1 tsp Vanilla extract as a substitute)
• 1 Cup water

Ingredients for the Almond Cream (crème d’amandes):

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup almond meal/almond flour (or 2/3 cup whole blanched almonds, but you’ll need a good food processor to process almonds into an almond meal)
• 1/8 tsp of salt
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature, sliced
• 2 large eggs

How to Make the Syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of water, 2 Tbsp of sugar, and 4 Tbsp of rum. Bring the mixture to a simmer for a minute, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then remove it from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

How to Make the Almonds Filling:

If using whole almonds: combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 2/3 cup of almonds, and 1/8 tsp of salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Add the butter and mix again until well blended. Add in the eggs one by one, and process on high speed until the mixture becomes creamy and fluffy.

If using almond meal or almond flour: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of almond meal, and 1/8 tsp of salt. Mix until well incorporated, then blend in the butter. Finally, add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium/high speed until the entire mixture achieves a creamy and fluffy, frosting-like consistency.

If it looks like this,

beat it some more until it looks like this:

Assembling your French Almond Croissants:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. After your croissants have been on the counter drying out overnight, and you’re ready to use them, slice each croissant horizontally like you would for a sandwich.
3. Work with each croissant one by one: dip it into the syrup, coating both sides and the ends well. The croissant should be quite moist, but not soaking wet. Just dip it once on each side.
4. Arrange the croissants on a baking dish, cut side up. Spread about 2 Tbsp of almond filling on the bottom half of each croissant.
5. Place the top halves on and spread about 1 Tbsp of almond filling over the top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
6. Bake on the center rack for 15 to 18 minutes or until the cream is golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature or just warm. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. These are best served the same day they are made.

Now I’m really curious, what’s your go-to breakfast dish to impress your guests?

Almond Croissants Recipe (French Bakery Style)

• In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 4 Tbsp rum. Bring to a simmer for a minute and stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and let cool to room temp.

How to Make the Almonds Filling:

• If using whole almonds: combine 1/2 cup sugar, 2/3 cup almonds, and 1/8 tsp salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Add the butter, and mix again until well blended. Add in the eggs one by one, and process on high speed until creamy and fluffy.
• If using almond meal or almond flour: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup almond meal, and 1/8 tsp salt. Mix until well incorporated, then blend in the butter. Finally add the eggs one at a time and mix on med/high speed until the whole mixture is creamy and fluffy with a frosting-like consistency.

Assembling your French Almond Croissants:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• After your croissants have been on the counter drying out overnight, and you’re ready to use them, slice each croissant horizontally like you would for a sandwich.
• Work with each croissant one by one: dip it into the syrup, coating both sides and the ends well. The croissant should be quite moist, but not soaking wet. Just dip it once on each side.
• Arrange the croissants on a baking dish, cut side up. Spread about 2 Tbsp of almond filling on the bottom half of each croissant.
• Place the top halves on and spread about 1 Tbsp of almond filling over the top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• Bake on the center rack for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cream is golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature or just warm. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. These are best served the same day they are made.