Do you love Almond Croissants but don’t love spending two or three days making them? This recipe is for you.
Have you noticed something? The first and third pictures are one might call a real almond croissant, and the second and fourth are my simplified version of a an almond croissant!
I made both of these croissants, but today I want to share with you the simplified version. I am not yet in the spirit of writing the long -and complicated when you never did it before- post about making croissant with the touring. (like croissants made in Bakeries). Besides, both these croissants are made with almond filling so let’s not be too complicated right now!
Most people love croissants and if so, who couldn’t fall in love with Almond Croissants? In France, they usually are made from the ‘old’ croissants from the day before, that haven’t been sold. You take your croissants, roll them out thinly with a rolling pin, and fill them with frangipane.
Frangipane is like an almond cream paste: made with almond flour, granulated sugar and butter mixed with crème pat’ as Paul Hollywood would say 😉 –aka crème pâtissière-.
Others just prefer fill the croissants with a simple ‘crème d’amande’, literally crème d’amande, which is just like the frangipane but without adding crème pâtissière.
With these processes in mind, if you didn’t before, you now see what we are talking about here when speaking about Almond croissants.
If you love croissants in general, but clearly can’t make them once a week as that requires quite a schedule and time, I strongly advise you to make this recipe and see how simple it can be to have them in front of you!
Here I am not talking about making real croissants, as there is no touring. Here, I offer you a way to have the same taste as an almond croissant (even better to me but that’s really just my opinion) without the hassle. I propose you, a dough that you can prepare the night before if you plan to eat them in the mid-morning, or a recipe for the early morning to eat it early afternoon or all-day long!
A great croissant or one of his siblings can’t be made right away or in 30 minutes. Otherwise we are talking about something else. But, isn’t it great to be able to produce something that look and taste just like croissant in just a few hours? And really, you are only “working” 5 minutes before chilling, and maximum 10 minutes after (if this is the first time for example). And that’s it! Honestly, everyone can do it. And even if it’s not as beautiful as a croissant the first time, you’ll get a hand on it and just love making it over and over again.
Wednesday has simply become ‘Croissant Day’ for two or three months now. My boyfriend is just so excited the night before because he knows he’s gonna wake up and eat a croissant before going to work! He’s like: ‘Yeeeeees (as he remembers) I have a croissant for breakfast tomorrow!’. This kind of reaction is so rewarding, you just want to make something else!
About These Almond Croissants
Way lighter and way easier to make than regular croissants
Window time of 10 hours but you can cut the first chilling time if you need to
Made with Rugelach dough
About The Dough
Light cream cheese and light butter
5 minutes for the making
Easy handling of the dough
About The Filling
Filled with a way lighter almond cream – No butter
Filling of your choice
You can make the filling 2 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge: just mix everything together and set aside.
You can call them ‘cheat croissants’, but they will still be delicious, easy to make, and do look and taste like croissants 🙂 enjoy making them, and let’s bake and bite!
Almond Croissants -No Touring- {For Two}
Ingredients
For the pastry dough:
- 60 g cream cheese -room temperature 2 ounces
- 40 g unsalted butter -chilled and cubed- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp
- 60 g all-purpose flour 1/2 cup
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
- 25 g almond flour/meal 1/4 cup
- 15 g confectioner's sugar 2 tbsp
- 1 egg white
- 2 drops almond extract
Egg wash (optional):
- 1 yolk
- 1 tbsp whole milk -or any milk-
Instructions
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For the pastry dough:
With a fork, mix the chilled and cubed butter and cream cheese until combined.
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Combine flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients and mix with the fork without overworking the dough.
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Wrap in cling film and let chill in the fridge overnight or a few hours; make the filling before the next step.*
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For the filling:
With a spatula, mix together the almond meal and confectioner's sugar. Add the egg white and almond extract drops and mix until combined. Set aside.
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Continue with the pastry dough:
Roll out the dough in a rectangle in a floured surface. Be careful not to roll it out too thinly.
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With a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife, cut diagonally in two triangles.
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Spoon the filling on each rectangle leaving the edges free of it. Brush water all over the edges.
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Roll each rectangle like a crescent by beginning to roll the large side with your hands.
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Place in a greased a silicon mat or a parchment paper in a baking mat.
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Preheat the oven at 350°F (180°C).
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Chill in the fridge from half an hour, to 2 hours for best results.**
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Brush egg wash all over the croissants: the yolk but milk also, will give the croissant its lovely light-brown color.
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Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and let cool before enjoying!
Recipe Notes
*Filling can be made ahead of time and chilled in the fridge, or two minutes before removing the dough from the fridge.
**You can chill the shaped croissant longer than that, however I would bake it within a day to guarantee a better flavor.