Almond Croissants

I’ve always had a weakness for almond croissants. We used to have a bakery near my house called La Vie de France which made the most wonderful almond croissants, but then one day they closed, and I mourned the loss of my croissants for months. They were so good!

There are other places that do sell almonds croissants, but for some reason they always lacked the amount of almond flavor and almond filling that I was looking for. They were, quite frankly, disappointing. And then one day it occurred to me that rather than continuously buying these disappointments and hoping that they would not fail me, I could, instead, try my hand at making them.

Since then, I haven’t bought an almond croissant. This is one of those cases where the homemade product is significantly better than the store bought product. It is also a breeze to make. Just buy some croissants from your grocery store/bakery (or you can make them yourself, but that will be another post, another day) and then with about 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of bake time, you will have some of the most delicious croissants ever.

The filling can also be made ahead 1-2 days of time and refrigerated, and any extra filling can be baked as little cookies (a take on florentines, if you will) at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Croissants aux amandes

150g sugar
150g almonds
100g (1 stick) salted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
Splash of milk
½ tsp almond extract
8-12 croissants
*optional: a dash of vanilla powder or a few drops of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until of a desired consistency. (I like my fine, but if you like bigger pieces of almonds, don’t grind for as long)

Add the butter, pulse to mix. (If using unsalted butter, add in a generous pinch of salt)

Add the egg, milk, and almond extract , pulse to mix.

Cut the croissants in half (like you would a sandwich bread), then spread 1-2 tbsp of the filling inside. How much filling you put it is up to your personal preference and the number of croissants you have.

Optional: Spread 1-2tsp of filling on top of your croissant. This creates a nice crispy topping, but isn’t all that attractive, so it’s all about personal preference

Bake for 15 minutes on middle rack. Allow to cool (seriously), then enjoy!