How to make almond croissants

Boulangeries all over France sell delicious almond croissants – Croissant aux amandes. If you ever wondered what happens to the left over croissants at the end of the day – well this is what happens, they’re repurposed! Find out how to make almond croissants and recreate the classic French pastry at home!

Makes 6 almond croissants

Active time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Storage: Up to 24 hours

EQUIPMENT

Large serrated knife
Pastry bag with a plain tip

INGREDIENTS

Vanilla syrup

2 cups (500 g/500 ml) water
2⅔ cups (1 lb. 2 oz./500 g) superfine sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

Almond croissants

6 × 1-day-old croissants (see separate recipe)
Vanilla syrup (see above)
8.5 oz. (240 g) almond cream
Generous 1 cup (3.5 oz./100 g) sliced almonds
Confectioners’ sugar

METHOD

Preparing the vanilla syrup

Combine the water, sugar, and vanilla seeds in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Preparing the almond croissants

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4). Using the serrated knife, cut the croissants in half horizontally. Quickly dip the croissant halves in the cooled syrup and place on a rack for a few minutes to let the excess liquid drip off.

Spoon the almond cream into the pastry bag. Place the bottom halves of the croissants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pipe a layer of almond cream over each one. Place the tops on the croissants and pipe a little almond cream over them. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and bake for 15 minutes.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

BOOK CREDIT: Extracted from French Boulangerie: Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts by FERRANDI Paris (Flammarion, 2024).

How to make croissants – perfect every time!