I’m being a total cheater today.
I know I shared a rich breakfast-for-dinner recipe earlier this week, but I couldn’t wait longer to post these quick almond croissants. If you love treating yourself to an almond croissant and a latte, good news:
WE CAN MAKE THEM AT HOME IN UNDER AN HOUR!
They won’t be gigantic, ultra-laminated croissants with dozens of delicate layers, but these small puff-pastry croissants are flaky, buttery and full of flavor — especially because we add extra butter. And yes: coffee on the side.
I’m in a major puff pastry moment lately. Homemade croissant dough is amazing but takes time and patience — I once made croissants in a multi-day process and couldn’t stop eating them. These puff-pastry “cheater” croissants give you nearly the same satisfaction with a fraction of the effort.
Key tips before you start:
- Roll the puff pastry as thin as you can without tearing it. Thinning the layers helps ensure the inside cooks through.
- Cut smaller triangles when forming the croissants. If the triangles are too large, the centers can remain doughy while the edges are golden.
- After about 20 minutes of baking, tent the croissants with foil if they’re browning too quickly. This helps the interior finish cooking without burning the tops.
We finish these with a simple almond syrup that’s honestly addicting. It acts like the sticky glaze you get on bakery almond croissants and also helps the sliced almonds adhere — basically delicious almond glue. If you don’t use all the syrup, it’s great for cocktails or sweetening other treats.
If you want to go all out, fill the croissants with almond paste or almond pastry cream for a truly decadent result.
Puff Pastry Almond Croissants
Yield:
6 to 8 croissants
1 hour
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Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed completely
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces and refrigerated
- 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- powdered sugar for sprinkling
- almond paste or pastry cream for filling, if desired
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Make sure the puff pastry is completely thawed. Place one sheet on your work surface, scatter the chilled pieces of butter over it, then top with the second sheet. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the stacked sheets into a much larger, thinner rectangle — ideally at least double the original size. Be patient and avoid tearing the dough; it needs to be thin so the centers bake through. If this seems intimidating, you can work with a single sheet, cut triangles and roll them; they’ll still be delicious if slightly less flaky.
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Cut triangles from the large rectangle using a pizza cutter or knife, creating a zig-zag pattern from top to bottom. Take the base of each triangle, fold it up and roll toward the tip to form a croissant shape. Place each croissant on the prepared baking sheet.
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Brush the croissants with the egg wash (egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water). Bake for 20 minutes.
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While they bake, make the almond syrup: combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then stir in the almond extract.
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After 20 minutes, remove the croissants and brush them generously with the almond syrup. Press sliced almonds onto the tops. You can brush again over the almonds if you like. Return to the oven for 5–10 minutes until the tops are deeply golden and the almonds are toasty. If they begin to brown too quickly, tent with foil and continue baking so the insides finish cooking. If a croissant is still doughy, bake in 5-minute increments (covered) until done.
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Cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, and fill with almond paste or pastry cream if desired. Serve warm with coffee.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
(Besides the latte.)