Whether it be a holiday or weekend morning, there’s only one way to slow the moments down—with an ultra-rich but super-easy sweet pastry. These Almond Stuffed Croissants utilize plain old store-bought croissants and give them a major upgrade. A quick, from-scratch almond paste is sandwiched inside the croissants and baked until golden, crispy perfection.
This paste has been dormant for most of our baking lives, but it’s quite a popular paste used in France. Called crème d’amande, it’s a common filling for tarts and pastries. Here it acts as a luscious filling to croissants that are a bit stale or have seen better days.
While you can use a food processor to get an ultra-smooth consistency, a rustic whisking or hand mixer incorporation is perfect for the job.
Once the mixer is well combined, the filling gets piped into the split croissants. Brushing the tops of the croissants with milk allows the sliced almonds to stick to the top.
These croissants only need fifteen minutes at most in the oven. You want them to have a golden tone to the tops.
Dusted with a bit of powdered sugar, these Almond Stuffed Croissants are ready to eat!
The almond cream inside is a perfect balance of nutty, floral almond, and sweetness. A bit of sugar accentuates the almond flavor without overwhelming you with a sugar high.
Sliced almonds on top give the perfect amount of textural crunch to contrast the creamy filling inside. To make these croissants even more luxurious, you could add chocolate pieces into the split croissants as well.
These Almond Stuffed Croissants are here to give your day a bit of rich, fancy luxury.
Almond Stuffed Croissants
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 large croissants, preferably stale
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
- Sliced or chopped almonds, for garnish optional
- Powdered sugar, optional
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a bowl beat butter until smooth and lump free, about 1 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently.
- Add almond flour, sugar, salt, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract, mixing until thoroughly combined into a uniform paste.
- Slice the croissant lengthwise and add some of the filling into the croissants. Adding the paste into a pastry bag or ziptop bag and piping it in makes it much easier.
- Brush milk onto the tops of the croissants and top with sliced almonds.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly golden and crispy. Allow the croissants to cool for 25 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Moribyan and Mediterranean Taste.