Hello and happy Sunday! I hope your weekend has been filled with fun and relaxation. We didn’t do very much yesterday, but while I was at the grocery store doing our usual weekly shopping I stopped in the bakery of whole foods and was admiring the croissants and other baked goods {they have the prettiest bakery, am I right?} and I thought to myself — “self, why don’t you grab some of those croissants and doll them up with some sweet pistachio almond cream and turn them into something worthy of Sunday brunch??”
OK. I didn’t really think that, I just wanted the damn croissants. So I bought them and then when I got home I wondered why I did. So, here we are. With a bunch of croissants that two adults can’t possibly eat before they go stale….what do I do?! Exactly what I dreamed I said. So here they are in all their glory: Pistachio Almond Croissants.
Let’s go down memory lane…
Now, since back in the day when Kory and I traveled to our neighbors to the north {and no, I’m not talking about Tennessee….I’m talking about Canada, duh} and ate all the almond croissants, I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of the almond croissant. A connoisseur of eating them that is, because who actually makes almond croissants at home {eye roll}. Well, I guess I need to eat those words too because here I am telling you how to make these little bundles of joy at home.
But lets be honest. I bought those croissants — cause ain’t nobody got time to make croissants. Plus, almond croissants are WAY better if you use slightly stale, day old croissants. The trick, much like with French toast, is to re-hydrate the croissants with something delicious that no longer makes them “stale”.
So, while this is a recipe that you need to start the night before, it really isn’t that complex to do the morning of. In fact, you could make all of this ahead of time and then just assemble them in the morning. Too easy.
Assembly
So start with good croissants and let them dry out over night on the counter. Then in the morning they will be easier to slice in half {like the picture below}.
You can then dip them in your cooled syrup {the rehydrating elixir} and prepare to fill with the delicious pistachio almond filling. Top with more filling and nuts and stuff and bake till golden brown and delicious.
So easy you can do it blind folded. Ok, maybe we wont go that far, but these croissants are pretty easy to put together since you sure as heck aren’t making your own croissants {but if you do, please let me know — the inner French girl in me would really like to make them someday.}
I hope you are having a wonderful sunday and stay tuned this week because I’ve got some awesome things heading your way!
Happy baking!
XO,
Danielle
Pistachio Almond Croissants
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 6-8 one-day-old medium/large croissants left at room temp uncovered overnight
For the Syrup:
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp Orange Liquor like Grand Marnier optional, but highly recommended.
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Cup water
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup whole roasted & salted pistachios
- 1/4 Cup Marzipan
- 1 stick 8 Tbsp unsalted butter room temp, sliced
- 2 large eggs
For the Topping:
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 3 tbsp. chopped pistachios
- Powdered Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
Instructions:
How to Make the Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp orange liquor, 2 tbsp. vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer for a minute and stir until the sugar dissolves then remove from heat and let cool to room temp.
How to Make the Pistachio/Almond Filling:
- Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 2/3 cup pistachios in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Add the butter, and mix again until well blended. Add in the eggs one by one, following with the marzipan and process on high speed until creamy and fluffy.
Assembling your Croissants:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F . Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- After your croissants have been on the counter drying out overnight, and you’re ready to use them, slice each croissant horizontally like you would for a sandwich.
- Work with each croissant one by one: dip it into the syrup, coating both sides and the ends well. The croissant should be quite moist, but not soaking wet. Just dip it once on each side.
- Arrange the croissants on a baking sheet, cut side up. Spread about 2 Tbsp of pistachio/almond filling on the bottom half of each croissant.
- Place the top halves on and spread about 1 Tbsp of the filling over the top. Sprinkle with Chopped pistachios & sliced almonds.
- Bake on the center rack for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cream is golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature or just warm. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. These are best served the same day they are made.
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