almond croissant cookies

these almond croissant inspired cookies capture everything you love about a classic almond croissant in cookie form – buttery, chewy cookies stuffed with a rich frangipane filling that bakes into sweet, nutty pockets of almond heaven.

why you will love this easy almond croissant cookies recipe

• tastes just like an almond croissant – these buttery, bakery style almond cookies have all the flavours of an almond croissant in a thick, chewy cookie. the best part is that these cookies are so easy to make, just mix, chill the dough, stuff with the frangipane filling and bake.

• incredible texture combination – these almond croissant chunky cookies have a perfectly chewy texture with crisp edges and soft, melt-in-the-mouth centres.

• perfect for any occasion – whether you’re looking for an impressive dessert to bring to a party, a special treat for afternoon tea, or just want to satisfy a pastry craving without leaving the house, these buttery cookies deliver. they look and taste bakery-quality but are relatively easy to make.

learn how to make almond croissant cookies

to make the viral almond croissant cookies, we’re going to start off by making the frangipane filling. in a small bowl, cream softened butter with granulated sugar. add some heavy cream, a splash of vanilla extract as well as a little bit of almond extract and mix that in until combined. then add ground almonds and a pinch of salt and gently mix that in until you get a thick, sticky mixture. place this in the fridge to firm up while you make the almond croissant cookie dough.

for the almond croissant cookie dough, start by creaming together softened butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar. then, add an egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and a splash of heavy cream and whisk this together until combined. in another bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix these together. add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, and gently fold the dry ingredients in until you get a sticky cookie dough. place the almond croissant cookie dough in the fridge and allow it to chill until it firms up.

once the dough is ready, split the cookie dough into equal sections, and split the frangipane filling into the same amount of equal sections. flatten each cookie dough portion out and add the frangipane filling into the centre, before closing the dough ball back up until the filling is covered. once you’ve stuffed all the almond croissant cookies with frangipane filling, coat the top of each cookie dough ball with sliced almonds, then place these in the fridge again for another 30 minutes.

once the cookies are ready to bake, place them on a baking tray with some space between each one. bake the almond croissant cookies until soft and golden, let them cool, top with powdered sugar and we’re done!

almond croissant cookies ingredients

• butter – we’re going to use unsalted butter here. if you would prefer to use salted butter, just skip the extra salt stated in the recipe. for this almond croissant cookies recipe, i prefer to cream the softened butter with the sugars over using melted butter. we’re also going to be using unsalted softened butter for the frangipane.

• brown sugar – i’m using light brown sugar in these almond croissant cookies because it helps give the cookies more of a chewy texture and a nicer caramel-like flavour. this is not completely necessary, so you can use granulated sugar instead of brown sugar if you don’t have brown sugar on hand.

• granulated sugar – this almond croissant cookies recipe uses a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar. the brown sugar keeps these cookies soft and chewy and the granulated sugar helps them spread. i also use granulated sugar for the frangipane.

• egg – we’re just going to use just one large egg in this almond croissant cookies recipe for the cookie dough. make sure it’s at room temperature so that it’s able to combine easily with the rest of the ingredients.

• vanilla extract – optional, but a splash of it will add a nice, subtle vanilla flavour to your almond croissant cookies and to the frangipane.

• almond extract – this is essential for that almond flavour in the cookie dough and the frangipane filling.

• double cream or heavy cream – this is optional but i like to add a small amount of heavy cream to the almond croissant cookie dough mixture as it adds a lovely richness and makes the cookies extra chewy. i also use heavy cream in the frangipane mixture to help bind it together and add some extra richness.

• ground almonds – we’re going to be using ground almonds in the frangipane mixture.

• flour – we’ll be making these almond croissant cookies with regular flour so you can use either plain flour or all purpose flour for this recipe.

• baking soda and baking powder – i use just a small amount of baking soda and baking powder in these almond croissant cookies to get a good balance of spread and thickness.

• salt – a small amount of salt mixed in with the dry ingredients will help balance out the sweetness.

• flaked almonds – we’ll be dipping our cookie dough balls in sliced almonds before baking for some extra crunch and flavour.

• icing sugar or powdered sugar – optional, but you can sift a little bit of icing sugar or powdered sugar on top of each almond croissant cookie after baking.

tools

• large bowl – for the almond croissant cookie dough

• two medium-sized bowls – one for the frangipane mixture, and one for mixing all of the dry ingredients

• whisk or electric mixer – for mixing the butter and sugar

• spoon or silicone spatula – for gently mixing the dry ingredients

• parchment paper or baking paper – for lining your baking tray

• baking sheet or baking tray – for baking your cookies

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: start by making the frangipane filling. in a medium-sized bowl, add softened, room temperature unsalted butter as well as some granulated sugar. cream the butter and sugar together until combined.

step two: add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix this into the butter and sugar mixture until combined.

step three: add the ground almonds, as well as a pinch of salt, and mix these in until you get a soft and somewhat sticky mixture.

step four: place this in the fridge to chill while you make the almond croissant cookie dough.

step five: for the cookie dough, begin by adding softened, room temperature butter to a large bowl.

step six: add granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the bowl. cream the butter and sugars together until combined.

step seven: add an egg, a splash of heavy cream, some vanilla extract and almond extract and whisk these into the butter and sugars mixture until combined.

step eight: in another medium-sized bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. mix these together.

step nine: add the dry ingredients to the wet cookie dough batter and gently fold them in until you get a soft cookie dough.

step ten: place the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

step eleven: once your cookie dough is ready, separate the dough into equal sized portions. similarly, portion out the frangipane filling into the same amount of equal-sized pieces. i ended up making 6 large cookies weighing around 95g (3.35oz) each.

step twelve: flatten out each ball of cookie dough, then place a portion of the frangipane filling in the middle.

step thirteen: wrap up the dough ball until the frangipane mixture is completely covered.

step fourteen: dip the top of each cookie dough ball in a bowl of sliced almonds until the top is covered in flaked almonds.

step fifteen: repeat this with all of the cookie dough balls, then place the stuffed cookie dough balls in the fridge again to chill for another 30 minutes.

step sixteen: preheat oven 15 minutes before baking, and line a cookie sheet or baking tray with parchment paper or baking paper.

step seventeen: place your almond croissant cookies with filling on your prepared baking tray, making sure there’s space between them, as they will spread quite a lot.

step eighteen: bake the almond croissant cookies for 16-18 minutes, or until they look soft and golden.

step nineteen: remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool completely on the baking sheet.

step twenty: once the cookies are completely cool, you can sift a little bit of icing sugar or powdered sugar over them if you like.

step twenty-one: serve, and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• i would recommend using room temperature butter and eggs when making these almond croissant cookies. this will just make it easier to mix the ingredients and help the ingredients incorporate better. make sure the butter is at room temp for the cookie dough and for the frangipane filling.

• if you forgot to leave the butter out to let it soften, you can always put it in the microwave for about ten seconds, just so that it can soften slightly so that it’s easier to mix. make sure you don’t melt the butter completely or put it in the microwave for too long.

• if using salted butter, you can skip the extra salt stated in the recipe.

• once you add the flour and dry ingredients to the cookie mixture, gently mix it in using a spoon or silicone spatula until just combined to avoid over mixing the dough. over mixing can make your cookies tough and less soft and chewy.

• don’t skip the chilling time! allowing the almond croissant cookie dough and the frangipane to chill in the fridge before baking will help develop the flavours and also prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. chilling the frangipane filling will also prevent it from oozing out when the cookies are baking.

• when stuffing the almond croissant cookies, make sure to completely seal the filling inside. pinch the edges well and roll into a smooth ball. any gaps can cause the filling to leak out during baking.

• use a cookie scoop or weigh out the cookie dough balls and frangipane mixture so that all of the cookies are equal and consistent in size. i weighed out each cookie to be 95g or 3.35oz, but you can make them any size that you like.

• adjust baking time as needed. every oven is different, so i recommend keeping an eye on your almond croissant cookies as they bake. i like to take them out of the oven when the edges are golden but the centres are still slightly soft as they will continue to cook as they cool once they’re out of the oven. over baking might make your almond croissant cookies dry and cakey and we definitely don’t want that! i baked these cookies for 18 minutes, but keep in mind that baking times will depend on how big your cookies are, so be sure to adjust times according to that. bigger cookies will take more time to bake, and smaller cookies will take less time to bake.

• these almond croissant chunky cookies spread as they bake, so leave at least 2 inches between each cookie on the baking sheet.

• once your almond croissant cookies are out of the oven, they might look underdone and will be too soft to pick up. let them cool on the baking sheets for a good 15-20 minutes before trying to pick them up.

• use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. while i add both metric and cup measurements for this recipe, i always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients for most accurate results.

• if you do decide to use cups, just be aware that my flour measurements are based on scooping the flour, as this is what most people tend to do.

• store any leftover almond croissant cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

frequently asked questions

1. what is an almond croissant ?

   – an almond croissant is a classic french pastry made from a croissant that’s been split open, filled with frangipane (a sweet almond cream), topped with sliced almonds, baked until golden and then topped with powdered sugar. these almond croissant cookies capture all those flavours and textures in an easy-to-make cookie form!

2. what makes this the best almond croissant cookies recipe ?

   – the combination of the buttery, chewy cookie and the creamy frangipane filling creates the most authentic almond croissant experience in cookie form. they have all the flavour and texture of the pastry without the complexity of making actual croissants!

3. can i use salted butter in this almond croissant cookies recipe?

   – yes, you can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter. if you do use salted butter for your almond croissant cookies instead of unsalted, just skip the extra salt stated in the recipe.

4. do i have to use vanilla extract in this almond croissant cookies recipe?

   – the vanilla extract in this cookie recipe is optional. i like the subtle vanilla flavour it gives to the cookie dough and the frosting, but if you would prefer not to use it or don’t have it, that’s also completely fine.

5. why did my almond croissant cookies turn into a cake instead of soft and chewy ?

   – the reason why your cookies turned cakey could be because of baking times. you should take your almond croissant cookies out of the oven when the edges are golden but the centres are still slightly underdone as they will continue to cook and firm up on the tray as they cool. even if you follow the exact timings in the recipe, every oven will bake things differently so timings will vary depending on your oven. i highly recommend checking on your cookies every once in a while, especially towards the end of the recommended times to make sure they don’t over bake. be aware that baking times will also change depending on the size of your cookies, so if you’re baking smaller cookies, you won’t need to bake your cookies for as long as i did.

   – another reason could be that there was too much flour in your almond croissant cookie dough. to make these almond croissant cookies as accurately as possible, i would really recommend weighing out the flour using a kitchen scale.

6. can i make these almond croissant cookies without brown sugar?

   – the brown sugar in these almond croissant cookies gives them some extra flavour and chewiness. however, if you don’t have brown sugar, you can substitute it with the same amount of granulated sugar. keep in mind that using all granulated sugar to make this cookie might result in a cookie that is less chewy and maybe even a little drier. it will also probably spread more, but other than that, it should work just fine. for best results, use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar as stated. if you have molasses on hand, you could also add a small amount of that to granulated sugar to mimic the effect of brown sugar.

7. can i make these almond croissant cookies without heavy cream ?

   – the use of heavy cream in this almond croissant cookies recipe helps add a lovely chewiness and richness to the cookies, and also helps bind together the frangipane filling. however, if you don’t have it on hand or would rather not use it, you can skip the heavy cream in the cookie dough or add the same amount of milk instead.

   – as for a substitute for the heavy cream in the frangipane filling, you can add an egg yolk instead.

8. why did my almond croissant cookies not spread ?

   – one of the reasons why your cookies didn’t spread might be due to your oven temperatures being too low. make sure to preheat your oven around 15 minutes before adding your cookies in so that the oven is hot enough.

   – it could also be that your cookie dough is too cold. if you find that your cookie isn’t spreading in the oven, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before baking it.

9. do i have to chill the dough to make these almond croissant cookies ?

   – yes, i would highly recommend chilling the cookie dough and the frangipane filling before baking it. the cookie dough and the frangipane can be a bit sticky when you first mix it, so it will probably be difficult to shape and work with. letting it chill in the fridge will help firm it up so that it’s easier to handle. it will also help enhance the flavours and prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. chilling the frangipane mixture also ensures that it doesn’t leak out of your cookies when in the oven.

10. can i make these almond croissant cookies ahead of time ?

    – although these almond croissant cookies taste best made fresh, you can definitely make them ahead of time and then just store in an airtight container at room temperature. alternatively, you can make the cookie dough and frangipane mixture 1-2 days before, stuff the cookies, store the almond croissant cookies stuffed with filling in the fridge and then bake when needed.

11. how do i make almond croissant cookie bars instead of almond croissant cookies ?

    – if you want to keep these almond croissant cookies easy and quick to make, you can definitely bake them as cookie bars instead of individual cookies. you don’t need a separate almond croissant cookie bars recipe – just make the frangipane filling and almond croissant cookie dough as stated in the recipe, press half of the dough into a lined 8×8 inch baking dish top with the frangipane filling, add the rest of the dough on top, add sliced almonds and bake. keep in mind that baking times might differ for the cookie bars. then, top with powdered sugar and slice up the cookie bars just before serving.

12. why is my almond croissant cookies filling leaking out of the cookies ?

    – make sure to completely seal the cookie dough around the filling with no gaps. also, chilling the filling beforehand helps it stay in place, so make sure not to skip the chilling time. if you’re having trouble, use slightly less filling per cookie.

13. can i make these almond croissant cookies with oil instead of butter ?

    – i would really recommend making these almond croissant cookies with butter, not oil. using oil won’t give you that rich, buttery flavour that makes these almond croissant cookies so good!

14. can i make these almond croissant cookies with chocolate in them ?

    – i personally don’t think these almond croissant cookies need chocolate, as they’re already so rich and indulgent, but if you want to add chocolate, you absolutely can. feel free to add some chocolate chips to the dough, or add a dark chocolate drizzle over the cooled cookies for a chocolate-almond combination.

recipe