Almond Croissant Cookies

Taking all the goodness of an iconic and decadent almond croissant and serving it up as a cookie!

Croissant vs Cookie

Let’s skip the fuss and bother of making a laminated puff pastry dough, along with all the rolling, proofing, and time. It usually most of the day before you can actually be eating a classic almond croissant, what with proofing, baking etc. Let’s move right on to the good stuff.  A simple almond cookie dough reminiscent of a German Almond Kipferl or Italian almond cookie get’s wrapped around the almond paste filling. These get flattened slightly and almond slices are scattered on top.  Bake for a few minutes, and next thing you know you are sinking your teeth into the most tender cookie imaginable.

Both recipes will require a frangipane filling.  This is lovely concoction of almond flour, butter, sugar, an egg, spices and a hint of rum.  This has the same flavour as marzipan, or almond paste.  For our requirements today, we will make a thicker version, so that we can work with it and stuff it into the cookie dough rounds we will make.  This can all be done simply in a bowl till a smooth mixture is achieved.  The frangipane can be made in advance and stored in a sealed container. If you put it into the fridge for any length of time, bring it up almost to room temperature, just so that you can easily break it into individual sections.

Ultimately, the frangipane will be rolled into balls which will be inserted into the cookie dough that you have flattened in your hand.

Some cookie recipes combine the frangipane with the cookie dough.  But I like the contrast of the baked cookie, slightly crisp on the outside, as it comes into contact with the tender, melty frangipane filling.  This is more like the croissant sensation, and I didn’t want to lose that.

Almond Cookie Dough

Instead of just using the butter as is, let’s turn it into brown butter.  This will lend a nutty warm flavour to the butter, which will bring added flavour to the final cookies. Once the butter has been cooled slightly, it will be added to the eggs, and two types of sugar.  Flour and spices are folded in.  Eventually you will use your hands to help for a dough on the counter. You will find that this is more of a crumbly dough.  But it will bake up into a tender and crisp cookie.

Divide the almond dough into equal sections.  These will get rolled and pressed out till round and flat. Place one in your hand. Pop in a frangipane ball.  Wrap the dough around the frangipane ball till sealed.  Then press slightly to push the ball into more of a cookie shape.

Once all the cookies are formed and sitting on the baking sheet, brush them with a little cooled melted butter, and then scatter almond slices over each cookie.  Press them in to help them adhere.

These will bake till golden and fragrant.  Depending on how cold the dough and frangipane are, they may not spread easily.  Halfway through baking, check, and if they need a little help, gently push down on each cookie to help them spread out a bit more. Cool them on a wire rack.  Then dust with icing sugar.  You will love the melty sensation of the interior contrasting against the tender but crisp cookie surrounding the filling.

These Almond Croissant Cookies will keep in a sealed container for up to four or five days.  They are perfect with coffee, whether in the morning, or even as a dessert!

The instructions below include the adjustments needed if using a gluten free cup for cup blend flour.

For other fabulous almond treats, check out Cardamom Coffee Mousse with Almond Cranberry and Cocoa Nib Florentines, Almond Joy Coconut Cream Pie, Apple and Almond Pastries, Stewed Rhubarb over Almond Grits, Orange Marmalade and Frangipane Bostock, Strawberry Rhubarb Frangipane Jalousie, Mincemeat Citrus Frangipane Strudel.

If you make these tender, melt in your mouth Almond Croissant Cookies, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

3.5 from 2 votes

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Almond Croissant Cookies

All the flavours of an iconic Almond Croissant but in a tender, melt in your mouth cookie. A wonderful almond cookie dough is wrapped around an almond paste frangipane filling. The cookies are brushed with butter and topped with sliced almonds. Bake, cool and dust with icing sugar.

Course Baking

Cuisine French

Keyword almond croissant, brown butter, cookies

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Servings 14

Ingredients

Frangipane Filling

• 1 egg, medium to large
• 2/3 cup (145 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (30 g) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 tsp rum can replace with vanilla extract if needed
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) almond flour

Almond Cookie Dough

• 16 tbsp (2 sticks or 226 g) butter, plus 2 tbsp, divided
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (63 g) powdered or icing sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups (375 g) AP flour, can be substituted with a gf cup for cup flour blend, see Notes
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Frangipane Filling, can be made in advance, even the day before.

1. In a medium to large bowl, whisk the egg and the sugar till smooth. Whisk in the butter, rum, and almond extract. The add the almond flour in 1/4 cup increments, blending well with a wooden spoon. It will get stiffer with each addition. Once combined and smooth, transfer to a container with a lid and store in the fridge till needed. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Almond Cookie Dough

1. Place the butter in a small sauce pan and set over medium heat. Let is simmer, going through all the stages of foaming, till it has a beautiful nutty fragrance, and the milk solids have browned on the bottom of the pan, about 7-8 minutes, depending on the size of pan you are using. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl place the egg, granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup powdered or icing sugar, and whisk till smooth. Slowly add in the cooled down butter and whisk till evenly incorporated. Add in the almond extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
4. Using a measuring cup, add the flour mixture in increments to the egg mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula till combined. Keep doing so till all the flour is incorporated. It will become thick and rather crumbly.
5. Turn the cookie dough onto a smooth surface and use your hands to smooth the dough. Roll into a long log. Cover with a damp tea towel so that it doesn't dry out while you work on the next step.

Assemble

1. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment ready. An extra one is handy as well. Place the sliced almonds in a shallow dish or bowl.

2. Take the frangipane filling and roll into equal balls. You can make either 14 or 16 balls. This a rich cookie, so 16 cookies is great option. Once formed, you can work on the cookie dough.

3. Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough log in half. Divide each half into seven or eight sections, depending on how many frangipane balls you created.

4. Continue to cover the portion of dough that you aren't yet using with the damp tea towel.
5. Take one section of the cookie dough and use the warmth of your hands to roll it into a ball. Then push down on the ball in your palm and spread it out as wide as you can get. It may crumble at the edges, but just push back in place.

6. Take one ball of the frangipane filling and place it in the middle of the cookie dough. Fold the dough around the filling ball, getting the edges to meet. Roll again, to smooth out the cookie dough. Place onto the prepared lined baking sheet. Continue with all the dough and the frangipane balls till all the cookies are formed.

7. Preheat the oven to 350F. Take the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and melt in a small sauce pan. It doesn't need to be hot and totally liquid, just easy enough to brush on the cookies.

8. Use your palm to gently push down on each cookie ball to flatten slightly. Using a pastry brush to lightly dampen a cookie with the butter. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds. If some don't seem to stick, just stick them in gently. Repeat with all the cookies. Don't be stingy with the sliced almonds. If you have room, and some almonds leftover, add them evenly to the cookies.

9. Once the oven is warmed through, place 7 (or 8) cookies onto one lined baking sheet. If you have two sheets, then prepare them both with the cookies.
10. Bake on the centre rack, till golden brown and fragrant, between 18-25 minutes depending on the size of the cookies and your oven.
11. At the 7 minute mark, check the cookies to see if they are starting to soften and spread. Help them along with a gentle push down on the cookie tops with your hand or a spatula. At the 15 minute mark, check again, and give the baking sheet(s) some good taps on the rack to force the cookies down again. If baking with two baking sheets or a full sized sheet, rotate half way through as well for even baking.
12. Once the almonds and the dough are golden, transfer the baking sheets to cooling racks. Let the cookies cool completely before transferring directly to the cooling racks. Once they are totally cooled, dust with icing sugar.
13. These will keep for three to four days in a sealed container on the counter.

Recipe Notes

If you are measuring your flour with a measuring cup as opposed to a scale, use the fluff, scoop and level method to ensure that you aren't using too much flour. Fluff the flour, scoop gently into the measuring cup with a spoon going higher than the measure, and then level with a knife or offset spatula.
If using a gluten free flour blend, remove up to between 1.5 and 2 tbsp of the flour, as it absorbs more than regular flour. If not, you may find the dough very dry and crumbly.
If the dough sticks on your palms as you roll it, gently flour your hands occasionally.