Until recently, I have stayed away from almond croissants because I don't care for the taste of almond extract, which most almond croissants have. While visiting a friend, she served almond croissants from one of her local bakeries that did not taste of almond extract, and they were delicious. Anyway, I wanted to replicate the croissants my friend served at home, so here is what I came up with.
Easy Almond Croissants
4 day old flaky butter croissants
For Almond Cream:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1cup almond flour or meal
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spit croissants in half and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Add almond flour and mix well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until well combined. Spread 2 tablespoons Almond Cream onto the bottom half of each of the croissants. Replace tops of croissants and spread one tablespoon Almond Cream on top of each filled croissant. Sprinkle each one with sliced almond. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until almonds are golden brown. Place croissants on a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes, then dust with powdered sugar. Almond Croissants are best the day they are baked, but will last a day or two stored at room temperature.
Makes 4
For Easy Hazelnut Pains au Chocolat:
Follow instructions for Easy Almond Croissants, but substitute hazelnut flour or meal* for almond and day old pains au chocolat for the croissants.
*Hazelnut flour or meal is harder to find than almond. To make your own, place raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º for until fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately wrap the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel, let them steam for a minute, then rub vigorously to remove the papery skin. Place toasted hazelnuts into a food processor and process until a flour or fine meal texture is achieved. Be careful not to over process.
Enjoy!
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