Nothing is better than a fresh, warm almond croissant that's just been plucked from the patisserie oven. But it isn't always convenient or affordable to schlep out to your closest French bakery — and making pastries from scratch is a daunting task. John Kanell, culinary creator behind The Preppy Kitchen, splits the difference by using a crucial store-bought ingredient for a semi-homemade option that you can easily serve to a crowd.
In Kanell's cookbook, Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking, he explains that you can upgrade grocery store croissants for a brunch-worthy treat: "I found that if you fill them with an almond paste, brush them with a sweetened liqueur mixture, and bake, you end up with a gooey, shellacked patisserie-caliber alternative. It’s the ever-so-quick solution to what to pick up from the store for breakfast."
Easy Almond Croissants
Author: John Kanell
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 29 min
Calories: 523
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the syrup
- ¼ cup (60ml) rum or amaretto
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
For the almond filling
- 1 cup (84g) blanched almond flour
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick/85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 8 croissants
- ½ cup (30g) sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the syrup: In a large bowl, combine the rum, water, and granulated sugar and whisk together until the sugar dissolves. You can also combine the ingredients in a sealable jar and shake to combine and dissolve the sugar.
- Make the almond filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, combine the almond flour, granulated sugar, and salt and stir together. Add the butter and mix on high speed for about 1 minute, or until fluffy and well incorporated. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix on high speed for an additional minute, or until well incorporated, stopping and scraping the bowl down at least once during mixing. Set aside.
- Use a bread knife to cut the croissants in half through the middle as you would for a sandwich.
- Dip both the top and bottom piece of each croissant in the syrup, then place cut side up on the prepared baking sheet.
- Reserve 2½ tablespoons of the filling, then evenly distribute the remaining filling onto the bottom halves of the croissants (just under 2 tablespoons each) and spread in a thin layer. Place the top halves on the filling. Dollop about 1 teaspoon of the reserved filling onto the top of each croissant, spread it out slightly to cover the center, and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and golden brown on top. Allow the croissants to cool for 15 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar. These are delicious when eaten warm!
Tips and tricks: Orange liquor, cognac, or bourbon can be used instead of rum or amaretto for the syrup. You can also skip the alcohol and substitute more water along with 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To warm and recrisp, place them in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes, or in the oven at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes.
Make mini almond croissants: Split 12 small croissants in half as directed. Coat in the syrup and then divide the filling among each (about 1 tablespoon each). Spread any remaining filling on the tops and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is bubbly around the edges.
Excerpted from Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking: Because It’s Always Time for Dessert. Copyright © 2026, John Kanell. Photography Copyright © 2026 by David Malosh. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
