These chocolate almond croissants are incredibly crispy and flaky and very easy to make. They're filled with chocolate almond frangipane and melty dark chocolate in the middle. A perfect way to breathe new life into leftover croissants!
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Notes from the baker
Over the years, I've made many variations of almond croissants but I've surprisingly never made a chocolate version. These chocolate almond croissants tick all the boxes for me. They taste rich and decadent but they're not overly sweet or heavy since the frangipane is quite light and fluffy.
The croissants themselves are satisfyingly crispy and flaky after being baked again with that delicious buttery filling oozing out of them.
I almost always use croissants from a big pack from Costco and you would never be able to tell they were from Costco if you only tasted the final product. It's my favourite way to transform sad leftover croissants into a pastry that came straight from a bakery.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Super crispy and flaky croissants. Baking these croissants a second time makes them extra crispy along with delicious caramelized bits from the simple syrup.
- Rich chocolate frangipane filling. Delicious chocolate almond filling in the each bite.
- Melted chocolate center. An extra sweet surprise in the filling with melty and gooey chocolate.
- Easy to make. These chocolate almond croissants are made with store-bought croissants and can be ready to eat in 1 hour!
Tools
- Small saucepan - You'll need a small saucepan to make the simple syrup. It's a very small amount so the smallest saucepan or pan you have would work best.
- Baking sheet - Any baking sheet or baking tray will work to bake the almond croissants on.
- Electric hand mixer - A hand mixer would be ideal for mixing the frangipane since we're working with softened butter. You could also use a spatula if you butter is soft enough but keep in mind that this frangipane is a thick mixture so it might be awkward to mix with a spatula and might be too thick for a whisk.
- Piping bag - A piping bag makes it easier to distribute the frangipane onto the croissants without any mess. You could also just use a spoon or ice cream scoop if you prefer.
- Fine mesh sieve - You'll need a small sieve to dust the almond croissants with powdered sugar at the very end.
Ingredient notes
As always, the fullย recipe cardย with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to theย recipe.
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Unsalted butter - This should be softened to room temperature to make it easier to mix into a smooth frangipane.
- Almond flour - Almond flour is simply finely ground almonds. You can make it yourself with a food processor but I prefer to just buy mine. Go for an almond flour that says "super-fine" for a smoother texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder - You can use natural cocoa powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder. It doesn't really matter here.
- Salt
- Eggs - These should also be at room temperature to prevent the butter from curdling.
- Almond extract - Almond extract enhances the sweet almond flavour in these almond croissants. If you don't have it or prefer a more chocolate-y flavour rather than almond, replace it with vanilla extract.
- Croissants - Use day-old, leftover croissants or leave fresh croissants out to dry out overnight. I always use a bulk pack of croissants from Costco because they're so affordable and come out beautifully when baked a second time. If you're using bakery croissants that are already very golden brown and crispy, you may need to reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
- Dark chocolate - For an extra gooey melted chocolate filling. Break a chocolate bar into pieces or use some chocolate chips or skip this if you prefer just the chocolate frangipane.
- Sliced almonds - For topping the almond croissants for a bakery-worthy look.
Tips for making the best chocolate almond croissants
- Use day-old, slightly dried out croissants. Slightly stale croissants actually work better than fresh croissants when making almond croissants. There's a reason why bakeries developed this pastry to make use of unsold croissants. Dried out croissants soak up the simple syrup better and become extra crispy and flaky when baked.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before using them. Cold butter will be hard to mix and adding cold eggs to the mixture will cause the butter to curdle. If you forget or don't have time, you can carefully soften butter in the microwave or on the warming element on your stovetop (on some stoves) and you can let the eggs sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Enjoy while warm. Normally, almond croissants are sold and eaten at room temperature but since these chocolate almond croissants have chocolate in the filling, it's best to eat them while they're still slightly warm and the chocolate is still melted.
Storage
These chocolate almond croissants can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat them in a toaster oven or air fryer until the outside is crispy and the croissants are warm all the way through (to melt the chocolate inside).
Almond croissants can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw them at room temperature or in the microwave before crisping them up in a toaster oven or air fryer.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions.ย To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ยผ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More almond croissant recipes to try
Recipe
Chocolate Almond Croissants
Equipment
- 1 piping bag, optional
Ingredientsย ย
Simple Syrup*
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g water
Chocolate Frangipane
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 100 g almond flour
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- โ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ยฝ teaspoon almond extract* or vanilla extract, optional
Croissants
- 4 croissants, day-old or left out to dry overnight
- 100 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces (or chocolate chips)
- sliced almonds, for topping
- powdered sugar, for topping
Instructionsย
Simple Syrup
- Dissolve sugar: In a small saucepan, stir together sugar and water. Heat the mixture on medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. You won't need all of the simple syrup for these almond croissants so transfer about โ of the syrup to a small bowl and set aside to cool. Transfer the remaining syrup to a clean container, let it cool, and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Chocolate Frangipane
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Butter mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, add the softened butter. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the almond flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until well combined (it will look too dry at first but just keep mixing until all the flour is saturated).
- Beat in eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Beat in the almond or vanilla extract along with the last egg until the mixture is a soft paste consistency. Transfer the frangipane to a piping bag and snip the tip off. Set aside.
Croissants
- Slice croissants: Cut each of the croissants in half lengthwise and place the bottom halves on your lined baking sheet.
- Brush with simple syrup: Use a pastry brush to brush each croissant half on the cut side with simple syrup.
- Filling: Pipe the frangipane on the bottom half of each croissant, reserving some extra to pipe on the top later. Place a few pieces of chocolate (or a handful of chocolate chips) in the middle of the frangipane.
- Toppings: Press the corresponding top halves of the croissants on top of the filling. Pipe a line of frangipane on top of each croissant. Press a handful of sliced almonds on top of the frangipane.
- Bake: Bake croissants for about 22-25 minutes or until they're golden brown and crispy. Let them cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before using a fine mesh sieve to dust them with powdered sugar. Enjoy warm or let them cool to room temperature.
Notes
- Simple syrup: This recipe makes more simple syrup than you'll need for these almond croissants. I figured since we're going through the trouble of making it, you might as well make more. There will be enough simple syrup to make 2-3 batches of these almond croissants or you can save it to add to coffee, drinks, or brush on cake layers to keep them moist. It will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks. You can also halve the recipe to make a smaller amount.
- Almond extract: Almond extract gives these almond croissants a much stronger almond flavour that makes them taste more like the ones from bakeries. It's not too common for most people to have on hand so it's optional. You can substitute it with vanilla extract if you like.
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