Bakery-Style Almond Croissant Cookies (Thick & Chewy)
Made of soft cookie dough, fudgy frangipane, and a crunchy almond coating, these almond croissant cookies take everything you love about the classic pastry and turn it into a thick and fudgy cookie—no laminating required!
Almond Croissant Cookies
If you love the flavor of almond croissants but don’t feel like dealing with laminated dough, then these almond croissant cookies are exactly what you need. They’re thick, soft, and chewy, with a rich almond flavor, fudgy frangipane filling, and a lightly crackled top that looks straight out of a bakery!
I got the inspiration for this recipe from Ryan Nordheimer, and after making them for my Christmas cookie boxes, they’ve quickly become one of my favorites. Instead of laminated pastry, these cookies feature a rich, buttery dough with almond flour and almond extract—they’re baked thick and soft with chewy centers and are topped with sliced almonds for a croissant-style finish. Basically, they take everything you love about the classic French pastry and transform it into something a little more approachable (but no less indulgent)!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Like most recipes, these almond croissant cookies primarily rely on kitchen staples. Here’s everything that you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter. Adds richness and flavor for a soft cookie.
- Granulated sugar. Sweetens the dough and contributes color and spread.
- Powdered sugar. Creates a more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Egg + egg yolk. To bind the ingredients together and add extra chew.
- Almond extract. Adds almond flavor for that classic croissant taste.
- Vanilla extract. Enhances overall flavor.
- Kosher salt. Balances sweetness and enhances the other ingredients.
- Baking soda. Acts as a leavening agent to help the cookies spread and develop a soft texture.
- All-purpose flour. Adds structure to the dough.
- Almond flour. We’ll use almond flour in both the filling and cookie dough to create a soft, fudgy crumb.
- Toasted sliced almonds. For rolling, to give the cookies a bakery-style finish.
Customizations and Variations
- Mix-in ideas. Add white chocolate chips, feulletine, or puffed rice cereal to the dough for a croissant-like crunch.
- Garnishing. Dust with powdered sugar after cooling.
- For extra crunch. Sprinkle coarse sugar, flaky salt, or more sliced almonds on top before baking.
- Swap the almond flour for pistachio flour. I tried this swap for my last cookie boxes, and it added the perfect pistachio croissant twist on the base recipe!
How to Make Almond Croissant Cookies
Since these cookies get stuffed with filling, they use a slightly different procedure than your average recipe. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what all you have to do:
- Make the frangipane. In a bowl, whisk the egg, then mix in almond flour, sugar, melted butter, and extracts until smooth.
- Prepare the Dough. In another bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and extracts. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until a soft dough forms—be careful not to overmix.
- Scoop and fill. Portion the dough into large balls. Flatten each one, add a scoop of frangipane to the center, then fold and seal the dough around it.
- Coat in almonds. Roll each filled dough ball in sliced almonds, pressing gently so they stick.
- Chill. Refrigerate the assembled cookies for at least 2 hours (or overnight for best flavor and texture).
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 14–16 minutes, until the edges are just golden and the centers are still soft.
- Finish. Cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Recipe Tips + Tricks
- Measure the dry ingredients almond flour correctly. To avoid dense or dry cookies, always spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off.
- Chill the dough. It’s an annoying step, I know, but chilling the cookies lets them fully hydrate and bake to the perfect thickness.
- Don’t overmix. Once the flour is added, you only want to stir the dough until just combined—this prevents excess gluten development and keeps the cookies tender.
- Don’t overbake. For this recipe, err on underbaking rather than overbaking—the cookies are done once matte on top and just golden around the edges, which will keep them super soft and fudgy in the middle. Oven temperatures vary widely from kitchen to kitchen, so I recommend using an oven thermometer or baking a test cookie first to find your perfect bake time.
Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions
- Storage instructions. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days.
- Make-ahead instructions. After shaping, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours before baking. Shaped dough balls can also be frozen for up to 3 months (this is my ultimate hack for having fresh cookies whenever you want)!
- Freezing instructions. Place leftover shaped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and pop the tray in the freezer for an hour. Once firm to the touch, transfer the dough balls to a plastic bag and keep in the freezer for 3-6 months. When you want to bake, there’s no need to thaw—just bake the cookies as normal (though they might need an extra minute or two in the oven).
As always, if you have any questions or comments, leave them below! If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear how they turn out—happy baking!
Bakery-Style Almond Croissant Cookies (Thick + Chewy)
Made of soft cookie dough, fudgy frangipane, and a crunchy almond coating, these almond croissant cookies take everything you love about the classic pastry and turn it into a thick and fudgy cookie—no laminating required!
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Servings: 16 cookies
Ingredients
For the almond cookie dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar, plus more for garnishing
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup toasted sliced almonds
For the frangipane filling
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Make the frangipane filling. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with a fork until broken up, then mix in the almond flour, sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Once a smooth filling forms, cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare the cookie dough. To a medium bowl, add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and powdered sugar until homogeneous. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
- Once smooth, stir in the dry ingredients until a dough forms and no dry spots remain. Do not overmix.
- Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside. Using a 1 to 1.5 ounce scoop, portion the cookie dough onto the prepared tray.
- Remove the frangipane from the refrigerator and divide it evenly into tablespoon-sized portions (one for each dough ball). If at any point the frangipane becomes too sticky to handle, place it in the fridge or freezer to chill.
- Assemble. When ready to assemble, take a ball of cookie dough and flatten it between your hands. Place a sphere of filling in the center, then fold the edges of the dough up and over the almond filling, pinching to seal. Gently roll the dough between your hands until smooth.
- Roll the top of each cookie into the sliced almonds, pressing gently so they stick. Repeat with the remaining balls of cookie dough.
- Place the shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight). Alternatively, freeze for 1 hour.
- Bake. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and arrange onto the pan at least 2'' apart.
- Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes, until just golden at the edges. Remove the tray from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Once cooled, dust the cookies with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
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Freezing instructions. Place any leftover dough onto a baking sheet and pop the tray in the freezer for an hour. Once firm to the touch, transfer the dough balls to a plastic bag and keep in the freezer for 3-6 months. When you want to bake, there’s no need to thaw—just bake the cookies as normal (though they might need an extra minute or two in the oven).
