Almond Croissants
Today I am sharing with you a very simple and yet delicious recipe for almond croissants using store bought croissants. The combination of flaky layers of croissant dough and smooth almond cream is just divine. This is a perfect treat for a weekend brunch or afternoon tea.
As I mention many time throughout my blog, I love to shop at Costco and one of the many “problems” shopping at Costco is the large quantity…well, with this said once in a while we do not resist and get the croissants and sure enough they come in a package of 12…huge ones. I do freeze some for sandwiches and the other ones I turn into tasty and delicious almost fancy bakeries kind of almond croissants. The great thing is that after transforming the plain croissants to almond ones I still can store them in the freezers for later enjoyment. So why not have this delicious treat ready for when you feel like?
The recipe was created based on Natasha’s Kitchen with minor variations.
Ingredients:
- 7 to 8 large store bought croissants
- 200 g almond flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g butter, unsalted at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons rum
- ¼ cup water
- ½ sliced almonds
Method:
In a small pan mix together 1 tablespoon sugar, rum and ¼ cup water. In a medium heat bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remover from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
In a stand mixer, using a whisk attachment and combine all the ingredients except the eggs. Mix well until the almond mixture is well blended and smooth. Add the eggs, one at the time making sure that egg is incorporated into the almond mixture. Mix until the almond cream is smooth and creamy.
Now that we have the syrup and the almond cream it is time to assemble.
Slice the croissants horizontally and brush each side of the croissant with the sugar/rum syrup.
Spread the bottom of the croissant with the almond cream, approximately 2 to 2 ½ tablespoons. Place back the top of the croissant like a sandwich.
Spread a thin layer of the almond cream over the top and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Repeat the procedure with all the croissants.
At this point you can either bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 15 minutes or place the filled croissants in a tray and freeze. Once the croissants are frozen, store in an airtight container or freezer bags for later enjoyment.
To bake the frozen croissants, remove the number of croissants you want to serve and place in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 20 minutes or until the sliced almonds are golden.
Dust with confectionary powdered sugar before serving.
I hope you enjoy this simple and easy way to give your plain croissant a twist. For more recipe using almond flour, please take a look at Frangipane Rolls or Frangipane Toast recipes.
Did you know that almond it not a true nut? Nevertheless, there are evidences that almonds can lower cholesterol, therefore improve your heart health. In spite of the fat in almond be considered a good fat, almonds should be consumed in moderation as fat is fat and too much can cause weight gain.