Easy Almond Croissants

cerenIt is no secret in my home that I love most things Croissant. What’s not to love about layers of buttery, flaky and light rolls? So it’s no surprise that I like Croissants aux Amandes or Almond Croissants too. Some more butter on top of butter laden plain Croissants can seem over the top. Perhaps they are, but to me, they’re worth eating as an occasional treat. They’re easily made at home with this Easy Almond Croissant recipe. As a plus, these are egg free.

If you’re new to these Croissants, they’re nothing but plain butter Croissants with a soft almond frangipane filling, crunchy almonds on top and dusting of powdered sugar.These come together and are ready to eat in under an hour. Since we’re making Easy Almond Croissants, we start with readymade day old plain Croissants.

Almond Croissants or Croissants Aux Amandes can be found in most French boulangeries, and also in non-French bakeries that make them.  Croissants don’t stay fresh beyond the day they’re made. In fact, they’re not the best even by the evening of the morning they’re baked. So French boulangeries came up with Croissants Aux Amandes to use up day old stale Croissants.

I don’t make Croissants at home very often. When I do, I rarely have left over Croissants. These days with just two of us at home, I buy them whenever I find really good Croissants locally. When the craving for these almond ones hit, I just but a few extra and make them. Given how loaded they’re with butter and calories, they’re a rare treat.

Some recipes call for brushing the halved croissants with a flavoured sugar syrup. I find this makes the Almond Croissants too sweet for my taste. My preference is mildly sweet Almond Croissants. I would suggest buying smaller Croissants, if you can find them, so these don’t become a guilt heavy treat! Butter Croissants are also always the best, in terms of taste. Don’t forget to use day old Croissants. You can even refrigerate fresh Croissants for a couple of days to make these.

For the almond filling, I use regular almonds which I blend into an almost fine powder, skin and all. I find its too much work for this recipe. You can blanch and remove the skin of you prefer. You could also use either almond flour or almond meal, if you choose. They all work. Using almond extract is optional because not everyone has it at home. Use it if you have it.

You can dust your baked Easy Almond Croissants with powdered sugar, if you like. I generally don’t because I don’t like these Croissants too sweet. If you want to get a little more adventurous and want to make a different kind of Almond Croissant, take a look at these, some of which might tempt you.