This recipe combines flaky croissants with a creamy almond filling and sweet pecan pie center – basically everything I love about breakfast pastries in one bite. My favorite part is how the almond cream soaks into the croissant while the pecan filling gets all caramel-y and gooey. If you have day-old croissants, this is the best way to use them. And your guests will flip over these, guaranteed.
I like to serve these on the weekend or bring them to a potluck brunch. Everyone loves them and is quite impressed with me. But you’ll see they actually aren’t that hard.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
You want to make sure your eggs and butter are room temperature so that they blend smoothly and so that the eggs don’t scramble. Try to use maple extract instead of maple syrup to get the best flavor. You can usually find it near the vanilla extract in the stores. And you definitely want day-old croissants. They will hold their shape better and not fall apart when you fill them.
This will make eight croissants and are best eaten fresh. But if you want to double or triple the recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Equipment
- saucepan
- Stand mixer
- 2 Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 8 croissants, 1-2 days old
- ½ cup powdered sugar for dusting
Pecan Pie Filling
- 1 ½ cups pecans chopped
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
Almond Cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
How to Make
They look impressive, and the ingredient list (and steps) look long, but the steps are very simple.
Step One: Make the Pecan Filling
Dump everything except the extracts into a saucepan and start stirring over low heat.
Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves, then bump up the heat until it starts bubbling. Once it’s boiling, turn it down to a simmer and keep stirring for about 8-9 minutes until it gets thick.
Take it off the heat, stir in your extracts, and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step Two: Make the Almond Cream
While that’s cooling, beat the butter and sugar until it’s fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time.
Scrape the bowl (seriously, do this or you’ll have lumps). Add all your extracts, then mix in the almond flour and salt. Finally, add the regular flour and mix just until it comes together.
Step Three: Prep Your Croissants
Heat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Cut each croissant in half like you’re making a sandwich, and lay the bottom halves cut-side up on your baking sheets.
Step Four: Fill and Assemble
Spread two tablespoons of almond cream on each bottom half. Get it all the way to the edges.
Then add two tablespoons of the pecan mixture on top of that.
Put the tops back on and gently press down, then spread another tablespoon of almond cream on top of each one.
Step Five: Bake and Finish
Bake them one tray at a time for 13-15 minutes until the almond cream looks cooked and light brown. Let them cool completely before you dust with powdered sugar.
Storage Instructions
These taste much better fresh, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 days.
The pecan pie filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. The almond cream can be made 1 day ahead.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Of course. The homemade one is delicious, but there’s nothing wrong with saving yourself some time (and sanity). Just make sure to choose one that’s nice and thick to hold its shape inside the croissants.
It sounds like the filling might not have cooked long enough. Next time, simmer it a little longer until it thickens up nicely. Remember to stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
If you have to and you’re in a pinch, yes. But the extract is more concentrated and gives you a better flavor. Start with a smaller amount of syrup (maybe 1/2 teaspoon) and taste the filling before adding more. The syrup will also make the filling a bit thinner, so be aware of that.
It’s possible that your almond flour absorbed more moisture than expected. Add a tablespoon of milk or cream to the almond cream to loosen it up. Just be sure to mix it in well!
Printable Recipe
Pecan Pie Croissants
Equipment
- saucepan
- Stand mixer
- 2 Baking sheets
Ingredients
- 8 croissants 1-2 days old
- ½ cup powdered sugar for dusting
Pecan Pie Filling
- 1 ½ cups pecans chopped
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 eggs room temperature – otherwise they'll scramble
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
Almond Cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Make filling. Combine pecans, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly over low heat until sugars are dissolved.
- Cook. Gradually increase the heat and bring the mixture to a slight boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until the mixture thickens (8-9 minutes), stirring constantly.
- Add extracts. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and maple extracts.
- Cool. Cool mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Make Almond Cream. Combine butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy in a stand mixer. Scrape down the bowl. Add in both eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again.
- Add extracts. Add in the vanilla, almond, and maple extracts. Mix on low until combined. Add almond flour and salt and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and add all-purpose flour. Stir until combined.
- Prep for baking. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and adjust an oven rack to be in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cut croissants. Cut the croissants in half horizontally and arrange the four bottom pieces on each baking sheet, with the cut side up.
- Add almond cream. Spread 2 tablespoons of almond cream evenly on the bottom side of each croissant. Pay close attention and fill to the ends of the croissant.
- Add pecan pie filling. Spread 2 tablespoons of the pecan pie filling evenly on top of the almond cream.
- Top croissants. Place the tops back on the croissants, gently press down, and spread an additional tablespoon of almond cream across the top of each croissant.
- Bake. Bake one tray at a time for 13-15 minutes or until the almond cream is fully cooked and light brown.
- Cool and dust. Allow the croissants to cool on their tray. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.
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Notes
Nutrition
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