Almond croissant dusted in sugar sits on a round wooden cutting board with a tray of croissants in the background

Almond Croissants

The almond croissant is a delicious pastry made by baking a croissant twice. Bakeries traditionally used this technique to revive day-old croissants that would otherwise go to waste. Plain baked croissants are sliced in half, soaked in syrup, and filled with almond cream. Then, more almond cream is spread on top, and the croissants are baked again until golden brown. Our Homemade Croissants are perfect for this recipe, yielding 12 croissants-enough to eat some fresh and then save some for this variation. Or try our Small-Batch Croissants if you only want to make exactly 6 for this recipe. You can use store-bought croissants if needed.

If you have extra croissants, you can easily double the recipe. Alternatively, double the recipe and save half the cream and syrup for making dressed-up toast. Give sliced day-old bread the same treatment as the croissants. Try it with sourdough slices, or for a more decadent treat, use our No-Knead Brioche or Pain de Mie.

Almond Croissant Recipe

The syrup and frangipane can easily be made ahead of time and held in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Scroll to Printable Recipe

Yield

6 croissants

Timing

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Bake Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the croissants:

IngredientTable header 1Table header 2Table header 3
Day-old croissants6 croissants 

For the frangipane:

IngredientGrams
U.S. Volume
Almond flour113g1 cup + 2 tbsp
All-purpose flour15g 2 tbsp
Salt1g¼ tsp
Butter, softened113g½ cup
Granulated sugar113g½ cup + 1 tbsp
Egg50g1 
Almond extract2g½ tsp

For the simple syrup:

IngredientGrams
U.S. Volume
Granulated sugar67g⅓ cup
Water78g⅓ cup
Rum, optional15g1 tbsp

For finishing:

IngredientGrams
U.S. Volume
Sliced or slivered almonds155g1 ¼ cup
Powdered sugaras neededas needed

Equipment

Instructions

Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a half-sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, and set aside.

Make the simple syrup: Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Stir in the rum.

Make the frangipane: In a small bowl, whisk together the almond meal, flour, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the almond meal, flour, and salt. Set aside. Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to medium and cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy- about 3 minutes. On low speed, add in the egg and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add in the dry mixture and mix on low until well combined. Add the almond extract and mix just until incorporated.

*You can mix the frangipane by hand instead of using a mixer, following the same steps above.

plain croissant being sliced in half
simple syrup being brushed onto cut croissant
almond frangipane is spread onto croissant halves

Fill the croissants: Place slivered almonds in a shallow bowl or plate. Set aside. Using a serrated knife, cut each croissant in half horizontally. Use a pastry brush to generously brush each croissant half with the syrup. 

Spread two rounded tablespoons (30g) of frangipane on the bottom half of each croissant, then place the top half back on and lightly press down with your hand to seal. Spread two rounded tablespoons (30g) of frangipane on top of each croissant half.

the top half of a croissant is placed onto the bottom half of a croissant that has been coated with frangipane
almond frangipane is spread onto the top of a day old croissant
Unbaked almond croissant is dipped into a black bowl containing slivered almonds

Place the top halves of the croissants back on and lightly press down with your hand to seal. Pick up one croissant at a time and press the frangipane-covered top into the bowl of almonds. Set the croissant onto the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining croissants.

Bake: Place the tray in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through until the croissants are golden brow
Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar.