I feel a little like a genius. To be completely frank and in the most humble way possible.
But yeah. Combining two of my favorite sweet treats into one mega-treat?
Genius behavior.
I’ve had a bit of a love affair with almond croissants as of late. Perfectly crispy, not too sweet, loaded with almonds, and almost juicy in a way words can’t quite explain.
La Gourmandine here in Pittsburgh is a great place to get them. They always hit the spot, and the almondy filling (known as frangipane) always gets extra crispy on the edges and it is just so gobbleable. I love them. And I saw Viridis (100% vegan and recently re-opened in a new location!!) has vegan almond croissants available some days.
So when I saw Trader Joe’s started selling almond paste, I got an idea.
A wonderful, crazy idea.
What if I stuck a little nugget of almond paste in the middle of a sugar cookie? And then topped it with sliced almonds, granulated sugar, and a little powdered sugar?
Would it sorta give me almond croissant vibes without needing to make a yeasted dough, laminate said dough, and spend a few hours shaping and baking a batch of finicky (yet delicious) croissants from scratch?
Spoiler alert:
The cookie base is my go-to sugar cookie recipe (the same one from this lemon blueberry variety!), requires no chilling time, and comes together all in one bowl. No weird ingredients, all easily purchaseable from your local mega mart.
Then you’ll need some almond paste, typically found in the baking aisle at the store. Like I mentioned, Trader Joe’s has started selling it, so yay. Easy.
It’s sweet, chewy, soft, and very almond-forward in flavor, and it becomes an almond cookie dough-like center for our cookies.
And the topper? Granulated sugar and sliced almonds. You’ll want to flatten the cookies with the topping on top (with the bottom of a measuring cup, bowl, or similar) so that everything sticks. It gets a little messy, but it’s worth it.
To really drive home the whole almond croissant visual and feel, I topped my cookies with powdered sugar right before serving. Totally optional, but I think it looks cute. You don’t need a lot; just a light little dusting will do.
These are so good and fun, and I think they’d be perfect for the holidays.
TGFFB.
(Thank God For Fall Baking)
PrintAlmond Croissant Cookies
Soft, chewy, sugar cookies with a surprise almond paste center! The almond topping is nice and crispy, and this recipe is 100% vegan as written!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 9-10 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Holiday
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 and 1/4 tablespoons water
- 112 grams (1/2 cup) vegan butter, softened
- 105 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar (plus more for rolling)
- splash vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 160 grams (about 1 and 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- If needed: 1 tablespoon plant milk (like almond)
FILLING:
- 9–10 teaspoons almond paste*
TOPPING:
- 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
- granulated sugar
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine your ground flax and water. Mix to combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat your butter and sugar together well until light and fluffy, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and salt, and beat again until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Add your flax mixture, and beat again until combined.
- Add your flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and beat again until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl if necessary. If the dough is dry (mine was), add a tablespoon of plant milk and mix well. Try not to overmix.
- Roll dough into 9-10 golf ball-sized balls.
- Put a finger into the middle of the dough, and place a 1 teaspoon chunk of almond paste in the divot. Enclose the almond paste with the dough, and flatten slightly. Place cookies on your prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly because they will spread a bit.
- Top each cookie with your sliced almonds and a sprinkle of granulated sugar. Keep in mind that almonds/sugar not on the cookie may burn on the parchment paper, so do this part with a little care. Press the topping into each cookie with the bottom of a measuring cup or bowl so that the almonds stick. See photos for what they should look like pre-oven!
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges of each cookie.
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Top with a light dusting of powdered sugar if desired right before serving.
Notes
*Almond paste is not marzipan. You can typically find almond paste in the baking section of your local mega mart. It comes in a tube, and it’s typically in a box. I got mine from Trader Joe’s, and that particular one is vegan. Be sure to find a vegan (eggless!) one if that’s important to you.
Would one egg be a fair substitute for the flax/water mixture?
Hi! I’d use 1/2 of one beaten egg. Or you can try 2-4 tablespoons of milk!