Easy Almond Croissants

Sharing a Recipe from my Cookbook!

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and these almond croissants would be the perfect thing to spoil the Mom in your life on her special day!

This recipe comes from my soon-to-be-released cookbook, Entertaining 101: 101 Recipes All Hosts Should Know How to Make, and I just had to share it for this special occasion!

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Excerpt of this Recipe from My Cookbook!

The first time my husband told me almond croissants in France were made with the leftover croissants that didn’t sell from the day before, I was like “Wait, what?!” But then he reminded me that nothing goes to waste in France, so of course it all made perfect sense!

But once I was back in the States, I wondered how I could make these delectable pastries at home, knowing we never have eight stale croissants lying around. So, I developed a recipe you can make with fresh ones.

These are fantastic for Mother's Day or Christmas morning, because you can prepare them the day before, and all you have to do is sneak downstairs in the morning and pop them in the oven. So, if you have in-laws coming for Christmas or anyone else you need to impress, this is the ticket. Once they take their first bite, it will be your mic-drop moment.

Show-Stopping Almond Croissants

Makes 8 Croissants

INGREDIENTS:

8 store-bought croissants (see Note 1)

1⅓ cups (133 grams) sliced raw almonds

½ cup (113 g) salted butter, softened

½ cup (102 g) granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure almond extract

Pinch of salt

¼ cup (34 g) all-purpose flour

Topping

⅓ cup (35 g) sliced raw almonds

1 tablespoon (7 g) powdered sugar

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Halve the croissants lengthwise and place them, cut side up, on the baking sheet. This will dry them out a bit while you make the filling.

3. Place the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a food processor.

4. Pulse the almonds in the food processor until a coarse meal forms.

5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, and ground almonds.

6. Add the eggs, almond extract, and salt. Beat to combine, then add the flour.

7. On the bottom half of each croissant, spread 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of filling. Then place the top half of the croissant on top.

8. Add another tablespoon (15 ml) of filling to the top of each assembled croissant, spreading it as a thin layer. It doesn’t need to cover the croissant completely, just enough to cover the curved top across the length of the croissant.

9. Add a sprinkle of raw almonds on top of each croissant. They will stick to the filling.

10. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the almond filling is set and golden brown.

11. Allow to cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Note 1:

Skip over the prepacked croissants in the bread aisle of your grocery store; instead, head straight to the bakery section and spend the money on freshly baked croissants. Or better yet, head to your local French bakery and buy their plain croissants. My motto is “The better the plain croissant, the better the almond croissant.”

Make-Ahead Game Plan:

● Assemble the croissants completely on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator, remove the foil, and bake in a preheated to 350℉ (180℃) oven for 16 to 18 minutes.

● Allow to cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.