..easier than you think!
These are insane. Literally the best and easiest thing you will make this week. One of the saddest parts of leaving Manhattan was Clarke+my love for almond croissants+valhrona hot chocolate. We shared one every day to get thru the grey toned winter just waiting for the tulips to burst thru ☀️and save us. Also.. you could make about 8 for the price of one. These would be amazing for a brunch or your last minute house guests!
Ingredients
1 cup almond flour/meal
1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Syrup+Assembly:
⅓ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum/or 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
8 stale croissants, halved horizontally
½ cup sliced almonds (love the Trader Joe’s candied ones)
First things first:
Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Halve all the croissants.
Lets make the frangipane:
Place the almond flour in a medium skillet and set over medium heat. WATCH closely+cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and toasty smelling, 5ish minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. This will add loads of flavor.
Using your KitchenAid mixer, combine the butter+brown sugar with paddle attachment until the mixture is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Mix in the almond extract, then add the flour, salt and toasted almond flour, until smooth and satiny. Set the mixture aside.
Now let’s make the syrup:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, rum and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and heat over medium, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, pour into a shallow pan/bowl and set aside.
Ready to Assemble:
DIP the cut sides of the croissant halves liberally in the rum syrup.
SPREAD the bottom halves with a scoop of the frangipane, dividing evenly among the other crossiants and spreading all the way to the edges. PLACE the tops back over the bottom halves, then spread the remaining filling over the tops of the croissants. DIP or Sprinkle the sliced almonds over top.
Place the croissants on the baking sheet+bake until the frangipane is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Here are some tips!
Best if using day old or left over crossiants for the ultimate flakiness but fresh is fine too. Just cut and leave open side out while prepping the syrup+filling. (I do mine over night)
Make the almond cream in advance. For easy morning assembly, make the frangipane filling the night before and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. Genius!
Substitute other nuts for new flavors. If you don’t have almonds/almond flour on hand, make a riff on a traditional filling by substituting ground pistachios or ground hazelnuts for the almond meal. Simply grind the nuts in a food processor with a little sugar and all-purpose flour. Hazelnuts with chocolate chips was unreal annnd honestly Clarkes idea- he wanted to make his own Nutella. I’m sure we’ll be trying cookiebutter next.
Have fun with your simple syrup. The rules are.. no rules. Add in a couple peels of lemons or oranges, a couple tablespoons of your favorite apricot or raspberry jams, go for a cinnamon or gingerbread simple syrup, or savory with jalapeño, basil or chipotle peppers. We love making strawberry simple syrup and using it for fun Shirley temples/strawberry milk and even drizzling it inbetween layers of cake. Let the syrup cool on the stove to just about room temperature then transfer to a lidded jar or squeeze sauce container -store in fridge for a month.
The pastries are best within an hour or two of baking. After that, revive them by warming in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep wrapped airtight at room temperature.