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If you visit a classic French Bakery, you’ll likely see these behind a shiny glass: “Croissants aux Amandes” (aka Almond Croissants).
My cousin’s wife, Katya, shared this recipe with me on our recent trip to the Seattle area. She served them with breakfast alongside a hot latte. These almond croissants were delicious and easy to make. The recipe can be cut in half for a smaller crowd. What a wonderful treat!
Ingredients for Almond Croissants:
8 (one-day-old) medium/large croissants, left at room temp 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 instead)
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, room temp, sliced
2 large eggs
Watch How To Make Almond Croissants:
How to Make the Syrup:
1. 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 1 at a time and mix on med/high speed until the whole mixture is creamy and fluffy.
If it looks like this,
beat it some more until it looks like this:
Assembling your French Almond Croissants:
Preheat the oven to 350° F . Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Arrange the croissants on a baking dish, cut side up. Spread about 2 Tbsp of almond filling on the bottom half of each croissant.
4. Place the top halves on and spread about 1 Tbsp of almond filling over the top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
5. 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.
Credits: I learned to make these from my cousin’s wife, Katya. The original recipe was adapted from Clotilde’s Almond Croissants.
Now I’m so so curious, what’s your favorite dish to serve guests for breakfast?
Almond Croissants Recipe (French Bakery Style)
Ingredients
- 8 one-day-old medium/large croissants, left at room temp uncovered overnight
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
- Powdered, Confectioner's sugar for dusting
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 4 Tbsp rum, optional, but highly recommended. You can use 1 tsp Vanilla extract instead
- 1 Cup water
- 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 salt
- 1 stick, 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, sliced
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
How to Make the Syrup:
- 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 1 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.
I have made these several times hoping to improve what appeared to be almond mixture too sloppy, and this melted and left only half on the croissants. I decreased the butter, increased the almond meal and then I compared this recipe to another very similar. The other recipe had same quantity of almond meal but specifically said “packed” meal. This equated to about 30 % more almond meal. In addition, only 1 egg instead of 2 large eggs was used. The sugar and salt were the same. I tested both options with a sample in the oven and the other recipe held firm like a 20mm high biscuit in comparison to this recipe which flattened like a Pancake. I think the different ingredients in NZ may be partly the reason, how dry the croissants are etc but I will continue to make these family favourites.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Gerald. I too wonder if geographically the ingredients are different, we haven’t had any issues with this melting or being too runny. I wish I could be more helpful, but its hard to say without being there.
Hi there. Have been really excited to try this recipe out! But I was just wondering if I were to make it for a party and wanted to make it ahead, how long is it usually fresh and whats the best way to store it?
You can store them in an airtight container, freezer bag, or tightly wrapped in foil so that they don’t dry out. These croissants will last about 2-3 days at room temperature. In the fridge, they can last up to 1 week.
Omg! These are delicious and easy for a bakery style croissant. I made them with my sourdough croissants!
I need to know more about your sourdough croissants! That sounds amazing!
Amazing recipe! I did it with fresh croissants and it was amazing anyways, husband loved it. Thank you Natasha
If I could leave 0 star i would .. 😩 I’ve tried this recipe twice!!! Because of all the good reviews I was in disbelief I truly thought I did something wrong the first time so I tried again….
Ended up throwing 2 batches!!!! It’s such a wast of time and food!! I don’t understand the good reviews… it spread like crazy, the filling doesn’t stay inside the croissant at all and the spread on top was just spreading everywhere… it’s the worst recipe I’ve tried so far! I’m a baker by profession and wanted to try something new.. I’m very disappointed… I feel like there’s to much eggs… maybe 1 would be better idk maybe less butter 🤷🏼♀️ but this is not a good recipe at all!!!
HI Stephanie, Did your dough look the same as mine in the final photo before spreading it on the croissants? It sounds like your proportions may have been off (too little almond flour), or the butter maybe was too soft or melted rather than softened? Both of these two issues could cause what you are describing. I hope that helps.
Really!! I have made these umpteen times and they are perfect!! Follow the rcipie to a T and you will see. I have gotten rave reviews from fam and friend.
I am not a baker and this was an easy recipe, if you follow her images on how it needs to look like…
These were absolutely delicious! Made them for Mother’s Day breakfast and everybody adored them. Perfect amount of sweetness as well; not overpowering or sickening. Will definitely make again, thank you for the great recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lyra!
Absolutely delicious👍
Easy to follow recipe, first time making it and
100% success!
Definitely a keeper😘
Tried this recipe the other day – perfection! Better than bakery because you can enjoy it warm and crunchy
This is the ONLY Almond Croissants Recipe You Will Need!
Years ago, in a litle coffee/bakery cafe near my house in Sonoma, they intermittantly had fablous almond croissants. THe shop changed hands, and afater that, the new business’s almond croissants could not hold a candle to the preceding ones.
It was the same, everywhere else I sampled a shop’s almond croissant. as a whole, they were lousy.
A couple years ago, I embarked on a quest to find a ‘replacement’ almond croissant that was comparable. One day it occurred to me to Google for recipes, which is how I found THIS recipe.
I must admit, I was reluctant to try a rum syrup, as, to me, the addition of any sort of alcohol usually ruins the dish.. In that this recipe encourages the use of the rum syrup, I gave-it-a-go. Much to my surprise, I discovered the rum syrup is what makes this croissant recipe so good. In that the rum is so diluted, you do NOT get the ‘alcohol burn’, at all, in the croissant.
When it comes to alcohol, I am not much of an alcohol officianado. Vecause of price, the pretty bottle, and limited selection, I bought a bottle of Costco’s Kirkland Spiced Rum. I find it to be excellent in this almond croissant recipe.
I hope you will try this recipe, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as my household does.
Hello Shelley, thank you for shairng that with us. I’m so glad that you love this recipe so much! I appreciate your wonderful comments and feedback!
Hi gonna make these this weekend for my grandparents anniversary! do you think i can use amaretto instead of rum? 🙂
Hi Anthony! I think so. I haven’t ever tested that so I’m not sure how the flavor combination would be.
Love this recipe. Delicious and easy to make. It has been a massive hit with family and friends.
Hi Natasha,
Just wondering if I could substitute butter to margarine?
What’s the ratio?
Please advise
Thank you.
Hi A.D, I haven’t tested this with margarine to note if any other alterations need to be made or what the outcome may be. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.