These earl grey almond croissants turn store-bought croissants into crisp and caramelized layers filled with a sweet almond frangipane filling and a touch of earl grey flavour.
What are almond croissants?
Almond croissants are the crispy, double-baked evolution of day old butter croissants into a crunchy and sweet new pastry.
Regular croissants are filled with an almond frangipane that melts down and turns into a custard-like filling. Baking the croissants a second time makes them super crisp and caramelized.
This version of the almond croissant involves soaking the croissants in an earl grey simple syrup to add another flavour dimension.
Why you'll love this earl grey almond croissant recipe
- It uses store-bought croissants so they're super quick and easy. You don't need to make croissants from scratch!
- It works best when the croissants are 1-2 days old and slightly stale so you can use leftovers. This is actually a good thing! As croissants age, they dry out and make for extra crispy almond croissants.
- The earl grey simple syrup and almond frangipane can be made a couple of days beforehand and kept in the fridge until you're ready to bake your almond croissants off fresh.
Earl Grey Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is ridiculously easy to make and can be used for anything from soaking cake layers to keep them moist to sweetening and flavouring cocktails.
All simple syrup is made with a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar. They are heated together until all the sugar dissolves into the water and creates a thin, sweet syrup.
Simple syrups are so versatile and can be infused with pretty much any flavour. To make this earl grey simple syrup, earl grey tea is simply steeped in boiling water before the sugar is added.
Almond Frangipane Filling
Almond frangipane is a mixture of almond flour, butter, sugar, and eggs most commonly used as a tart filling. A generous layer of frangipane is sandwiched in the middle of each croissant.
Once baked, frangipane becomes a crumbly, custard texture that is soft from the almond flour and sweet but light in flavour. As the frangipane melts out of the croissants onto the baking sheet, it becomes caramelized and crisp.
More almond croissant recipes to try
Earl Grey Almond Croissants
Ingredients
Earl Grey Simple Syrup
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3 earl grey tea bags
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Almond Frangipane
- 100 g almond flour
- 60 g powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Croissants
- 8 croissants, left on counter to dry out overnight
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Earl Grey Simple Syrup
- Heat water in a small pot until boiling. Turn off the heat. Steep earl grey tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes. Discard used tea bags.
- Add sugar to the pot of tea and return to medium heat. Heat until all the sugar as dissolved.
- Pour earl grey syrup into a jar or squeeze bottle and let cool completely. Simple syrup can be kept in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Almond Frangipane
- In a large bowl, stir together almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat in softened butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add in eggs and almond extract and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer frangipane to a piping tip and snip off an inch off the tip of the bag.
Assembling the Almond Croissants
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut each croissant in half down the side like a hamburger bun. Brush both cut sides of each croissant with earl grey simple syrup until the bread is moistened but not completely soaked.
- Pipe almond frangipane onto one half of each croissant. Place the top half of each croissant back on top of the frangipane.
- Pipe another stripe of frangipane on the tops of each croissant and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the croissants are deep golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Dust the tops with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
- Make the simple syrup and frangipane the day before to save time. Simple syrup can keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and frangipane can keep for 1-2 days.
- Save the leftover earl grey simple syrup and pour it over pancakes, waffles, or add to cocktails.
Alice
These croissants are fabulous!
I added crushed garlic and fresh cracked pepper to the leftover simple syrup to make a glaze. Used it on chicken; it was delicious.
Also used some of the leftover simple syrup on cocktails. Again delicious.
Megan
So good! I made this recipe for a group of ladies, and I got so many compliments! Thank you for the delicious and easy recipe!
Natalie
I love almonds croissant! These look so delicious and I bet the earl grey makes them super rich and unique. Can't wait to try this recipe!
Gail Ng
Thank you Natalie!! I love the extra flavour the earl grey adds to them. It makes them even better!