Chocolate Almond Croissants

Croissants are good. Homemade croissants are great. Homemade chocolate croissants are delicious. But homemade chocolate almond croissants? Now that’s heavenly.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it with homemade croissants OR store bought, and it’ll be super yummy either way. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with almond cream and chocolate.

I’m gonna keep this post pretty short and sweet, partly because I already wrote a much more detailed croissant post a few months back, and partly because as I’m writing this (on June 22nd) it’s the night before I leave to be a counselor in training at my camp for 8 weeks and I’m sitting next to an enormous pile of stuff waiting to be packed with a mile-long to-do list on my phone. But if you’re looking for any more explanations, or just want to check out how to make your very own croissant dough, head on over to that other post! Think of it as a “part 1” to this post.

Chocolate Almond Croissants

from crumbsandnibbles.com, adapted from Food52

Makes 14 croissants

Ingredients:

• 1/2 recipe this croissant dough + 1 bar of chocolate (I prefer dark) + 1 egg whisked + 1 egg,  OR 14 chocolate croissants
• 125 grams room temperature butter
• 250 grams almond paste, crumbled
• 1 egg plus 1 yolk
• 7 1/2 grams corn starch
• Slivered almonds (optional)

Directions:

If using homemade croissant dough:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or a Silpat.
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and set aside, then roll half of the dough out on a floured surface to a 18″ by 5″ rectangle. Cut into 6 3″ by 5″ rectangles.
3. Take one rectangle and place it in front of you so that the long side is facing you. Arrange some of the chopped chocolate in a vertical line about 1/2 inch away from the left edge. Brush the left edge with some of the egg wash, then fold it over the chocolate. Now arrange another line of chocolate, this time 1/2 inch from the right edge. Brush the right edge with egg and fold it over the chocolate to complete the shaping of the croissant. Place the croissant sealed side down on one of the prepared trays and repeat with the rest of the rectangles and other half of the dough.
4. Cover the trays of croissants loosely with a clean towel or plastic wrap and set the trays in a warm place for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can let these rise in the fridge overnight for fresh croissants the next morning.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 F. Beat the egg.
6. Brush the tops of the croissants with the beaten egg and place in the oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 400 F. Bake 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F. Bake for another 8-13 minutes, or until the croissants are deep golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack, then move on with the rest of the recipe.

For the chocolate almond croissants:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or Silpats
2. Make the almond cream: Place all of the remaining ingredients except for the slivered almonds in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
3. Slice each croissant in half horizontally. On each croissant, spread 1-2 tablespoons of the almond cream on the bottom half. Place the top half back on and spread another tablespoon of cream on the top of the croissant. Sprinkle with slivered almonds if desired, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the almond cream is cooked through. Cool and devour warm!