Name: Twice-Baked Almond Croissants
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 47 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 6 day-old butter croissants; 1/2 cup (120 g) water, for the syrup; 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, for the syrup; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter, softened; 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, for the almond cream; 1 cup (100 g) blanched almond flour; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1/4 tsp almond extract; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 1/2 cup (45 g) sliced almonds; 2 tbsp powdered sugar, for dusting

Twice-Baked Almond Croissants

4.8 from 505 home cooks Free

A French bakery trick for rescuing day-old croissants: soak them in vanilla syrup, fill and top them with almond cream, then bake again until the edges caramelize and the almonds toast. The inside turns custardy and the top gets crisp, especially under a heavy snowfall of powdered sugar.

Prep

25 min

Cook

22 min

Total

47 min

Serves

Level

Easy

Cuisine

French

Method

Step 1: Simmer the water and 50 g sugar until dissolved, then take off the heat, add the vanilla and let the syrup cool while you make the filling. Heat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Step 2: Beat the butter and 100 g sugar until creamy, then beat in the almond flour, eggs one at a time, all-purpose flour, almond extract and salt until smooth and spreadable, about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Split each croissant horizontally with a serrated knife, leaving the back edge attached like a hinge. Brush the cut sides generously with syrup until moist but not falling apart.
Step 4: Spread about 1 1/2 tbsp almond cream inside each croissant and close it. Spread a thin layer of the remaining cream over the tops and press on the sliced almonds.
Step 5: Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the almond cream on top is set and golden, the almonds are toasted and any cream that oozed onto the parchment has turned brown and crisp.
Step 6: Cool 10 minutes on the sheet, then dust heavily with powdered sugar right before serving.

Kitchen note

Stale croissants work better than fresh ones because their dried-out layers drink up the syrup like a sponge without collapsing, so the second bake crisps them instead of turning them soggy.