Chocolate Almond Croissants

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Stale croissants are the whole point here. Split them, soak the cut sides in rum-vanilla syrup, pack them with almond frangipane and dark chocolate batons, then re-bake until the tops shatter and the filling sets into something custardy. This is exactly how good bakeries turn yesterday's inventory into their best-selling pastry — a bakery-case dessert for a couple of dollars a piece instead of seven.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp dark rum (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch kosher salt

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 4 day-old all-butter croissants
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), cut into 8 finger-length batons
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Pull the croissants out of the bag and let them sit at room temperature while you work — they should be dry and a little firm, which is what lets them drink up the syrup without collapsing.
2. Make the syrup: combine the water, 1/3 cup sugar, and pinch of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the rum and vanilla. Pour into a shallow bowl and let cool to warm, about 10 minutes.
3. Make the frangipane: beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar with a hand mixer on medium for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, almond extract, and salt and beat 1 minute more — it may look slightly split, which is fine. Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour and beat on low just until smooth and thick, like a soft frosting. You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
4. Split each croissant horizontally with a serrated knife, cutting almost all the way through but leaving a hinge at the back so it opens like a book.
5. Using a pastry brush, generously paint the cut surfaces of each croissant with the warm syrup — about 1 1/2 tablespoons per croissant, top and bottom. Go further than feels comfortable; the syrup should soak in and leave the crumb visibly damp but not soupy.
6. Spread about 3 tablespoons of frangipane over the bottom half of each croissant, all the way to the edges. Lay 2 chocolate batons on top, spacing them apart, then close the croissant. Press gently so the halves seal.
7. Spread another 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of frangipane over the top of each croissant in a thin, even layer, then press sliced almonds over the frangipane so they stick. Transfer to the baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
8. Bake at 375°F for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pan at the 12-minute mark, until the almonds are toasted golden, the frangipane on top is puffed and set (not glossy or wet in the center), and any filling that leaked has caramelized at the edges.
9. Let cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes — the frangipane inside firms up as it cools and the chocolate needs to stop being molten. Dust generously with powdered sugar through a fine sieve and serve warm.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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