Twice-Baked Almond Croissants

 

Another great croissant recipe to make for brunch. It was very similar to the Pistachio Croissants that I made and I could prep the frangipane filling the day before. I used 12 croissants from Aldi and ended up making 1.5 serving of the almond frangipane filling but with zest from 2 oranges and 2 eggs. I only made 1 serving of the simple syrup and that was enough. Baked these for 18 min at 350.

Here is what I did:

-make the frangipane filling the day before

-cut all croissants in half. Brushed both cut sides with simple syrup. Then piped in frangipane filling.

-put frangipane filling on top and topped with sliced almonds

-baked for 18 min at 350

Easy Twice Baked Almond Croissants - Beyond Sweet and Savory

Ingredients

6 stale plain croissants (1-7 days old) (12 croissants)

6 tablespoons simple syrup

1 cup and 2 tablespoons frangipane

¾ cup sliced almonds

confectioners' sugar for dusting

Frangipane Cream

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (used 12 tablespoons butter)

½ cup granulated sugar (3/4 cup sugar)

1 ½ tablespoons fresh orange zest (zest from 2 large oranges)

1 large egg (2 eggs)

½ cup almond meal (almond flour) (3/4 cup almond flour)

Simple Syrup

½ cup water

½ cup sugar

 

Instructions

To make the frangipane, combine butter, sugar, and orange zest in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Add the egg and whisk until it's fully incorporated, about 1 minute.

Decrease the mixer to low speed and beat in the almond meal. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

 

Transfer the frangipane into a piping bag fitted with a flat piping tip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

To make a simple syrup, place water and sugar a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and whisk occasionally until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

Croissants Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Cut the croissants horizontally without cutting through.

Use a pastry brush to brush the cut sides of the croissant halves liberally with the simple syrup.

Pipe the bottom half of the croissant with 2 tablespoons of frangipane, creating even piping all the way to the edges.

Pipe the top with 1 tablespoon of frangipane. Top with 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds.

Place croissants on lined baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes (baked 18 min) until the almonds are toasted and the frangipane becomes golden brown.

Remove them from heat. Let them cool for 10 minutes before dusting them with confectioners' sugar and serving.

Notes

-Save the extra simple syrup in for your drinks or cocktails. You can keep them in the fridge but will need to warm it up and add additional water if it thickens or crystallizes.

-Save the extra frangipane in the fridge for a week. Use the frangipane for other baked goods.