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If your ideal date is skipping dinner and going to multiple bakeries, we are the same. If you canโt decide between a cookie or a pastry so you get both, youโre going to love these Almond Croissant Cookies! They have all the flavors of an almond croissant with an easy (canned) frangipan filling, but in cookie form!
The texture of these almond croissant cookies is like a slightly sweet scone. The cookie is crumbly in a way that mimics a croissant that shatters when you bite into it. The dough is made with half almond meal for this effect.
The flavor of these cookies tastes nearly identical to a flaky almond croissant from the bakery! that is because we are stuffing each cookie with a small ball of almond paste. The almond paste is in a jar that you can find in the baking aisle, I promise! You just didnโt know it was there because you havenโt looked for it before. That is, unless you have made my authentic kolaches and used it for a filling option.
How to Make Almond Croissant Cookies
Weโre going to make a dry, crumbly cookie dough, mix some canned almond paste with a small amount of powdered sugar, and then stuff it inside each cookie dough ball. After a quick chill time, top these cookies with sliced almonds (just like almond croissants at the bakery), and bake. Itโs love at first bite.
This dough is based on my hazelnut cookies, because they have the scone-like, flaky texture that I wanted here to mimc croissants.
The Ingredients
- Almond Flour. This is not the same as almond meal, which contains the skins. Almond flour is blanched (peeled) almonds ground finely into a fluffy pale yellow powder. Itโs what makes the texture of these cookies crumbly and flaky.
- Flour. Regular, all-purpose flour, not pastry flour.
- Sugar. One-third cup of granulated white sugar.
- Salt. A small pinch of sea salt to balance flavors.
- Baking Soda. This provides lift and fluff to our almond croissant cookies.
- Baking Powder. Weโre also using baking powder for tall cookies that donโt spread much. We want these to mostly hold their shape.
- Butter. Half a stick (2 ounces) of unsalted butter, kept cold, not softened.
- Heavy Cream. Using 1/4 cup of heavy cream in the cookie dough is what makes these cookies soft and flaky.
- Egg Yolk. Just the egg yolk, not the entire egg, please! Save the egg white to make my banana sheet cake next time.
- Sliced Almonds. Iโm using sliced almonds with the skins on them, because that is what you commonly see on almond croissants at the bakery. This is not the same as slivered almonds, which are peeled and thicker-sliced.
- Almond Paste. In the baking aisle, there is a small can or tube of almond paste. Here is what the box looks like when it comes in a tube. Here is what it looks like when it comes in a little box that holds a tightly sealed silver bag. For the record, I tested this recipe with the box, and my recipe tester used the tube, so both work!
- Powdered Sugar.
The Instructions
First, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Dice the butter into small chunks, and add it the bowl. Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. The dough should be crumbly and the butter about the size of rice grains when youโre done.
Next, stir in the heavy cream and egg yolk. Follow this with the sliced almonds. Set aside in the fridge while you make the filling.
Make the almond paste filling: use a TEASPOON to make 12 balls of almond paste. Place in a bowl and mix with the powdered sugar. Use your hands to make 12 dough balls.
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, and scoop out 1 TABLESPOON of dough. Press it slightly flat, insert one of the almond paste balls. Scoop another one tablespoon of cookie dough on top of the almond paste ball, and use your fingers to pinch it closed.
Refrigerate the 12 dough balls for about 15-20 minutes, while the oven preheats to 400-degrees F. Space the cookies evenly on the sheet pan, and brush with extra cream and sprinkle more sliced almonds on top.
Space the cookies evenly on the sheet pan, and brush with extra cream and sprinkle more sliced almonds on top.
Bake for 10 minutes, and let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving the almond croissant cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
These are pretty dusted with powdered sugar before serving, too.
Almond Croissant Cookies
Almond croissant cookies that look and taste like an almond croissant! Flaky almond cookies with an almond paste frangipane center.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (59 grams) almond flour
- 3/4 cup (96 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cold
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for top
- 12 teaspoons of almond paste from the box
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- Next, dice the butter and add it to the bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture. The butter should be evenly incorporated and roughly the size of rice grains before continuing to the next step.
- Stir in the heavy cream and egg yolk. Then, stir in 1/4 cup of the sliced almonds. Set aside in the fridge until you finish the next step.
- Use a teaspoon to scoop 12 balls of almond paste from the package. Place them in a bowl and use a fork to mash them up. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Use the same TEASPOON scoop to make 12 balls of almond paste mixture, and set them aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, and scoop out 1 TABLESPOON of cookie dough. Add a ball of almond paste in the center, and then top with another 1 tablespoon of the cookie dough. So, each cookie is two tablespoons of dough with a teaspoon of the almond paste mixture in the center. Roll into a ball until the almond paste is completely enclosed in the dough.
Refrigerate the cookie dough balls for about 15-20 minutes, while the oven preheats to 400-degrees Fahrenheit. - Evenly space the twelve cookies on the baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush the extra heavy cream over each cookie, followed by a sprinkling of extra sliced almonds. You can also sprinkle coarse sugar on top to make it super pretty. Bake for 10 minutes, and let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before attempting to move.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 153Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 130mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Does this use almond meal or almond flour? One is specified in the write up, the other is in the recipe. TIA โ
I came to see if anyone questioned this as well. Iโm going with A flour since she was so detailed in her reasoning.
Iโm also confused as to whether itโs almond flour or meal. The section where you list and describe the ingredients is says almond flour but then in the recipe it says almond meal.
These are delicious! We snuck one before they were fully cooled and already think we need a second batch.
I do have a question โ mine donโt look like yours much at all. The cookie is fairly flat, except for where the almond paste ball is! Theyโre very much humped up in the middle and then drop off drastically to be flat.
My thoughts are perhaps the almond paste ball was too large or I needed to chill them longerโฆ any ideas on how to make them look at delicious as they taste? :)
I made these recently and struggled to mash the paste and powdered sugar together. I bought the paste at Trader Joeโs and (never having used it before) thought that the rock hard paste was normal. Apparently not from what Iโve read online. So the majority of the cookies had a round ball in the center and the delicious almond flavor didnโt distribute well. But what a magnificent, tasty cookie! I will figure out what to do with the very firm paste so the next time I make these cookies, theyโll be even better. Absolutely delicious!
Omg these are a winner!
For the almond topping I used that egg white with some sugar beaten well and added the sliced almonds to it. I topped the cookies with some of this for a toasty crunchy, sweet contrast. 1000% Will make again.
I donโt think all 12 will last through today.