Cranberry Almond Croissants

5 from 1 vote

Simple, Cranberry Almond Croissants, based on a classic Almond Croissant, these are perfect for brunch and a great way to use up leftover croissants!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: almond croissant, Cranberry, croissant

Servings:

Calories: 719kcal

Preheat the oven to 350º F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.

In a heat safe bowl add in 120 grams of orange juice and 120 grams of sugar. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until the sugar has dissolved.
Set aside.

Add the soft butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, almond flour, and egg to a bowl.
Whisk or beat to combine until well mixed and even a little fluffy.

Use a serrated knife to cut the croissants in half as if you were opening them like a clam shell. I usually leave the back point in tact but you can cut all the way through.
Lay the cut croissants open face up on the baking sheet. It's ok if they touch while the two halves are open.
Brush or spoon the orange simple syrup over the cut sides of the croissants (both the top and bottom halves).
Spread 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the almond paste onto the cut side of the bottom half of all of the croissants.
Then, if using, spread 2 heaping tablespoons of cranberry sauce on top of the frangipane.
Flip the top half of the croissant back over to sandwich the croissants down.
Brush the top of the croissants with more simple syrup (it's ok if you have some left over).
Spread another tablespoon or two into a thinner layer over the tops of the croissants.
Pour the sliced almonds into a shallow bowl wide enough for the croissants. One at a time, flip the croissants over into the almonds so that the slices stick to the frangipane.
To decorate with fresh cranberries, take each cranberry and dip the bottom in a little bit of the frangipane let in the side of bowl and then stick them to the tops of the croissants.

Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the almonds and any exposed frangipane start to brown.
Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Dust the croissants with powdered sugar.
Serve immediately or throughout the day. Store leftovers in an airtight container and refresh in the oven at 350 F for 5-10 minutes.

Tips for Bakery Style Almond Croissants

The amount of croissants you make will depend on how big your croissants are. I can usually make 6 with this amount of filling if I really scrape the bowl.
I love the whole butter croissants from the bakery section! But you could also pick up plain croissants from your favorite bakery.
To make classic almond croissants simply swap the orange juice for the simple syrup with water and add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. For the filling simply omit the cranberry sauce and add more almond frangipane.
If you don't want to use cranberry sauce I would cook down raspberries with a bit of lemon juice and sugar. However, I don't recommend most jams other than currant, raspberry, and orange marmalade. Standard jams tend to be too sweet and therefore won't cut the richness of the almond filling.
These croissant can be ready start to finish in under an hour so I don't recommend making them in advance.